Rising Storm
by captainlink
Summary: A foe returns, with a burning desire to destroy Equestria. Will Twilight and her friends be able to defeat this returning foe? World-changing events will cause chaos, and new heroes will rise. Rated T for future chapters. OC spots are limited.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is captainlink! This is going to be my first fanfic, so please don't think it's going to be award-winning material. Reviews are appreciated! Okay, here goes chapter 1 of Rising Storm.**

***Author's Note: If this seems "boring" in the first few chapters, trust me, it really picks up around chapter 4.***

Chapter 1: The Return

Luna's moon rose high over Equestria, bathing the land in a soft glow, but Twilight Sparkle remained vigilant. She was busy writing a report for Princess Celestia on recent events she had been noticing throughout Ponyville. Certain ponies had been acting strange. It was mostly pegasi and earth ponies though, and very few unicorns.

As Twilight's quill danced over the parchment, her assistant, spike, walked in drowsily. "Twilight?" Spike said, barely suppressing a yawn. "Isn't it time you went to bed? I mean, it's almost midnight!" Spike said, glancing at the clock on the wall." No Spike, "Twilight replied hastily looking over her shoulder, "The Princess has selected me to take on this task of finding out what's going on, and I'm not going to disappoint her!" Twilight shouted. Her sudden ferocity caused Spike to flinch. The sudden blaze in Twilight's eyes quickly turned to softness. "I'm sorry Spike, I've been stressed recently with my studies, and I've just been very…" Twilight paused for a moment, looking for the right word. "Preoccupied." When Spike fixed her with a confused look, Twilight gave an exasperated sigh. "Preoccupied basically means busy." She explained. "Ohh… gotcha." Spike said with a small nod.

The clock on the wall gave twelve harmonic chimes, indicating that it was midnight. Twilight and Spike both turned to the clock for a moment, and Twilight sighed, "I guess some sleep wouldn't hurt. And it's bad to study while tired." Twilight began to head toward the stairs, finally let sleep take her over. As she crawled into her bed, she gazed up at the moon at its fullest. It reminded her of that day, almost six years ago. When Twilight and her friends, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, healed Princess Luna, whom at the time was under possession of a dark spirit. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony, banished the dark spirit and cleansed Luna, and freed princess Celestia.

Twilight was distracted by Spike's snoring. It was loud, but soothing, and she soon fell asleep by the melodic snoring.

Twilight sat at her table, sipping on some Sweet Apple Acres Cider while listening to the radio. She was listening to an orchestral single By Octavia, a master Cellist. The soothing music made her begin to nod off. She put her head on the table, rudely awakened by a belch from Spike. She snapped to attention and looked around wildly. "Huh? Wasa' tat?" Twilight sputtered. "Uh, it's a letter. From the Princess." Spike cleared his throat and began to read the letter.

"My Dear Twilight Sparkle, I come to you with the most urgent of news."

Spike stopped reading and glanced up at Twilight who waved her hoof in a "go on" motion. Spike looked back down at the letter and continued reading.

"I request that you and your friends report to my palace immediately. You will be told more when you all arrive. Yours truly, Princess Celestia."

Spike rolled the letter up while Twilight looked shocked. "Well that was very direct." Spike said, voicing Twilight's thoughts. "Okay, Spike. Let's split up, I'll go and get AJ, you go and get Rarity," At the mention of her name, Spike was off like a bolt. As soon as Spike was away, she face-hoofed herself and groaned, realizing her mistake. "I should've told him to get Fluttershy." Twilight groaned.

Ten minutes later, Twilight was at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. She spotted Applejack's older brother Big Macintosh bucking away at apple trees. "Hey Big Mac!" Twilight shouted, Big Mac turned and looked off in her direction. He acknowledged her with a "Eeyup?" "Is Applejack around?" Twilight questioned. "Eeyup." And he pointed off in the direction of the Barn. "Okay, thanks, Big Mac!" She said trotting off towards the Barn. "Eeyup." Big Mac replied simply and went back to his work.

Twilight stopped at the entrance to the Barn and knocked on the large door. "AJ? Are you home?" The door swung open and out walked Applebloom, Applejack's younger sister. "Howdy Twilight! What's up?" she asked in a southern accent. She had grown taller over the past five years. Her red mane and tail had grown out and she wore a cowboy hat like her sister except hers was a dark brown, instead of tan, like her sister's. Her cutie mark was a single red apple. She had grown taller but she was still shorter than Twilight. "Oh hey, Applebloom, is your sister around?" Twilight inquired. "Eeyup, just a second." Applebloom answered, before looking over her shoulder and shouted, "HEY BIG SIS! GIT DOWN HERE! TWI'S HERE TO SEE YOU!" "You know I could've done that, right?" Twilight complained, rubbing her ears. "Oh, yeah, ya'll could've but then it wouldn't have been fun!" Applebloom said with a grin. "You wanna come in?" Applebloom asked, and Twilight responded with a nod "Sure, but I'll only be staying a short while." Twilight explained. "Well, long as ya'll here, you want some cider?" Applebloom asked as Twilight sat in a chair in the kitchen. "Sure thing, Applebloom, thanks." Twilight looked off to her left from where she sat in the kitchen at the stairs as Applejack walked down and saw Twilight. "Howdy Twi, what's up?" Applejack asked, sitting down across from her friend and grabbing her mug of cider as her sister brought it over, and took a sip. "Well," Twilight sighed, "The Princess wants to see us." "An' that's just it? She didn't say why?" Applejack asked. "Nope." Twilight responded. "She just said she wanted to see us. Immediately." Applejack pondered the thought for a moment before responding. "Jeez, Twi, I jus don't know. I can't just up and leave Ponyville. I don't think Big Mac and Applebloom can take care of the barn on their own." "Sure we can, sis! We can take care of everything." Applebloom said sitting down between Applejack and Twilight with her own mug of cider. Applejack sighed and said, "Alright Twi, let's go round up the rest of the girls.

An hour later, the main six were on the train to Canterlot, the capitol city in Equestria. Twilight leaned out the window, letting the wind flow through her mane, it always helped her relax, that, and reading a book. She wondered what the princess wanted them for. _"The Grand Galloping Gala was coming up soon, so it might have something to do with that. But why would she have been so_ _direct?" _Twilight wondered_. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."_

As the train pulled into Canterlot, the main 6 were surprised to find that there was a Royal Canterlot Guard division waiting for them. A large grey unicorn stallion wearing a helmet stepped up to them. "Mrs. Sparkle?" The stallion asked in a deep voice. "Yes?"Twilight answered, not looking down from his penetrating gaze. "The Princess wishes to see you immediately. Please follow us." Without another word, the stallion turned around and started walking on the road to the Castle. The Guards filed in behind the mane six and the stallion, which Twilight assumed the leader of the division. The ponies trekked to the castle, and Pinkie Pie being unusually serious, walked normally, and didn't try to convince the guards to throw a surprise party for the Princess. The guards stayed in a protective living barrier around the mane six the entire way to the castle. Not until the ponies reached the castle gates, did the guards protecting the six break formation and form a solid line in front of the gates.

The main six continued the walk to the castle doors. As they reached the large doors, they were enveloped in a magical glow, and swung open. When inside, the doors closed, leaving only the main six, and three Royal guards, two of which were already inside, and the one who had led them to the castle.

The helmeted guard removed his helmet, letting his short black mane loose. He cleared his throat. "Princess Celestia?" He asked, in his deep voice. A moment later the co-rulers of Equestria, Princesses Luna and Celestia strode in. "Good, you are all here." Princess Celestia began. "Come, let us speak in private." She and her sister turned and made their way to the throne room. The main six followed the princesses and the black-maned guard began to follow them, Princess Celestia raised her hoof, and he stopped, leaving the Princesses and the others to trot over to the entrance to the throne room.

The great doors leading to the throne room closed, leaving the eight of them alone. The Princesses turned to the six mares in the center of the room. Celestia looked at each of the ponies in turn with admiring gazes before beginning. "My faithful subjects, my faithful student. My sister and I have come to a conclusion. We fear that a great foe has returned with a burning desire for revenge. She attempted to take over Canterlot five years ago, at your brother's wedding, Twilight." Twilight gasped in shock. A silence overtook the room. Rainbow Dash finally broke the silence. "So what you're saying is that she's back?" "Yes," Celestia responded, "Queen Chrysalis has returned, and intends to destroy all of Equestria."

**DUN DUN DUUUNNNN!**

**Yeah, so basically the changeling queen has returned to destroy all of Equestria. A new story, a new plot!**

**OC spots are available for upcoming chapters! Leave OC description (name, gender and colors, etc.) in the review! I'm going to read it because I want to know what you guys think and leave ideas! I might use them!**

**This is captainlink, signing off, until next time! **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sorry about the double chapter 1 guys. Technical issues and stuff and that I've never posted a second chapter on Fanfiction. **_

**Okay, guys first of all, thank you for the OC submissions, favorites and follows! And within the first 24 hours! Thank you guys so, so much! Your support is really appreciated! Remember, Follow, Favorite, and brony/pegasister on! On with chapter 2!**

**Chapter 2: A Storm is Brewing**

The main six all had looks of concern on their faces. Queen Chrysalis had returned and she planned to destroy Equestria.

Twilight reflected on those past few moments. The Princesses had told them that Equestria was in great danger. Even more so than when Discord, the Equestrian deity of Chaos, attempted to rule Equestria with a chaotic fist. Or paw. Or claw. She was walking to Princesses Celestia's room. She wanted to speak to her student in private.

The student and teacher walked in silence. Neither spoke a word. The hall in the Canterlot castle was silent. The only life in the halls was the stone-faced guards, the student, and the Princess.

The two eventually arrived at Celestia's room. Two unicorn guards were posted at the door, and as Twilight passed them they eyed her suspiciously. No one was allowed in the Princesses' rooms, not without the highest of permissions. The two stepped inside and the doors closed behind them. Celestia went to sit on her cushion next to a fireplace. The royal cushion was red with golden lace and it looked very comfortable. Celestia indicated with her horn in the direction of a chair. Twilight walked to the chair, and tried to relax, and take in the moment. She was in the Princess's room. It was a nice-sized room, with large windows. This was one of the few rooms she had never been in during her time in Canterlot, while she was learning about magic under Princess Celestia's tutoring. A silence filled the room. The only noise was the occasional hoof steps outside the room. "Twilight?" Celestia began, breaking the silence, looking up at Twilight with something she had never seen in her eyes. Pain. Worry. Concern. Twilight had never seen her mentor this way, and it tugged at her heart to see her role model in such a state. "I fear I may not be your mentor for much longer." Twilight's eyes widened at this. She couldn't bear the thought of her mentor leaving her. Celestia was always a great friend to her, despite their separate roles. "I am beginning to grow old." She turned to look at her mane and tail, which Twilight now noticed small grey hairs at the base of her mane and tail. "If you recall, Chrysalis defeated me at the wedding five years ago. She injured me. But not physically. She injured something I thought not possible." She paused looking at Twilight dead in the eyes. "She broke my immortality." Twilight gasped, shock filling her eyes. "The spell I used," Celestia explained, "Was a very powerful spell. If it worked, it would have destroyed her. Completely. A villain like her could not simply be imprisoned. She needed to be destroyed. But, when the spell didn't work, and it backfired and hit me, I felt something leave. From here." She paused and put her hoof up to her chest. "That… Thing… Broke me. And since then I have been having dreams. Visions. Visions of fire, destruction. Of…" Celestia paused for a few seconds. "…Of death." Twilight was completely speechless at this point. It was too much to take in. Her mentor's aging, the return of Chrysalis, of those ominous visions showing utter destruction.

She was fearful. Afraid. The bad thought gripped her in an icy grip. "What do I tell my friends?" Twilight began. "I… I'm not sure what to tell them." Her voice trembling. Tell them this: "A great change is coming. Times are changing." Twilight nodded her head. "You may now return to your friends." Twilight rose to leave. As she opened the door, Celestia thought to herself _"Equestria will undergo a baptism of fire. And the humble of today, will become the heroes of tomorrow." _

As Twilight entered the main chamber of the castle, the black-maned guard walked up to Twilight. "Mrs. Sparkle?" She looked into his green eyes. She found brief calm in the penetrating green eyes. She blinked, returning to her senses. "Hmm?" "Your friends wanted me to tell you that they would meet you at Donut Joe's." Twilight nodded, "Thank y-" but she never finished. As she was speaking, a black Pegasus guard burst in, sweating and panting, with bleeding scratches all over his body.

"Lieutenant Lightning Strike! What happened?" Shouted the black-maned unicorn. "Manehattan is under attack!"

**And so the plot deepens…**

**OCs (copyrighted)**

**Lightning Strike –Gunzi Executioner TogainuNoChi**

***Note: OC spots ARE limited!**

**Wow. Two chapters already. Feels like just yesterday I posted chapter one. Oh, wait it was just yesterday! Hahahaha. Okay. So, just to let you all know, I most likely won't be able write any new chapters for a week at minimum. So expect a new chapter some time next week. And I'll hopefully get to chapter 5 or 6 before school starts. Just remember, Favorite, Follow, tell your friends, and Love and Tolerate!**

**Until then, this is captainlink! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the follows and favorites! It means a lot to me to know that people like my story enough to follow it. But without further ado, Rising Storm, Chapter 3!**

**Chapter 3: Changing Times**

"What?" shouted the guard, "Did you say Manehattan was under attack?"

"Yes sir," the lieutenant replied between pants. He seemed very weak and absolutely exhausted. "The Princess wanted us to patrol the area from the sky. She didn't say why. We're not supposed to ask questions." Lightning Strike groaned and began to collapse. One of the guards by the door rushed to side to support him. Lightning gave him a thankful nod, and went on. "My Pegasus division was flying over the outskirts of Manehattan, and some of my men started to attack each other. Then we realized that they weren't our men. They changed into the black, insect-like creatures." "Changelings." Twilight muttered.

"Yeah," Lightning said, closing his eyes and remembering the men he could consider his brothers, being shot down. "The Changelings, or whatever the hay they are, were ruthless. The gunned some of us down. Some of the local pegasi wanted to help. Many of them were killed. I told some of my men to get the other civilians to safety. I don't know what happened to them. We were never able to regroup. I… I think they were captured." Lightning bit his lip and looked down. "All right Lieutenant, go get some rest. You've earned it." Lightning strike nodded, and limped to the barracks.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Mrs. Sparkle." The guard began. "Would you like me to escort you to your friends?" "No thank you, I think I'll be fine on my own."

"Geez, Twilight! It took you forever to get here!" Rainbow Dash greeted her upon entering Joe's Donut Shop. "Oh, when we get back to Ponyville, do you mind if I borrow another Daring Do book?" "Huh?" Twilight asked shaking her head. "What was that Dash?"

"Twilight, dear? Are you alright?" Rarity asked fretfully "She doesn't look very good." Fluttershy said quietly. "I'm sorry girls. It's just…" "Just what? Tell us Twilight!" Rainbow Dash asked crossing her arms. "Um… If you want to that is." Fluttershy said meekly, glancing down.

"Oh, nothing. Hey, you guys go enjoy yourselves. I'm going to go talk to Shining Armor. I'll be back soon." "Okie-dokie-lokie! See you later Twilight!" Pinkie said, as nonchalant as ever.

Princess Cadence was sitting on the couch in Shining Armor's suite. They were visiting in Canterlot to see her aunt. (For those of you don't know, Cadence is Celestia's niece) She was reading a Canterlot Press magazine article about Katy Pony's new album. Her attention was suddenly drawn to a knocking at the door. She got up to open the door, and when she did, she saw her sister-in-law, Twilight. "Twilight! What a nice surprise!" Cadence said smiling. "Oh, hey Cadence. Is Shining Armor around?" Cadence could tell something was wrong. Very wrong. "But he'll be back soon. Would you like to come in?" Cadence asked, opening the door. "Yes, thank you, Cadence." Twilight stepped inside, and collapsed into a nearby sofa. Cadence blinked softly, and went to sit next to her relative. "Twilight?" Cadence began, "What's wrong?" Twilight looked up at her sister-in-law. She saw kindness and compassion in her eyes. Twilight suddenly felt like a little filly again, with Cadence as her foal-sitter. She remembered those times fondly. She had no worries then. No responsibilities. And now, it was just too much. She had no idea how to break the news to Cadence about her aunt's aging. "Well Cadence, it's the Princess. She wanted to talk to me. She… She told me bad things were going to happen." She was glad she was able to skip around the subject about Celestia's aging. "But as I was leaving," Twilight continued, "a guard burst in, Lieutenant Lightning Strike I think, and he said that Manehattan was under attack." Cadence recoiled in shock, and gasped. "You don't think that Shining is going to have to go fight, do you?" "I hope not." Twilight said, shaking her head and sighing. Both ponies sat in silence until the door suddenly opened, revealing Shining Armor. "Cadence, I'm ba- Twiley!" His voice was muffled by the grocery bags he was holding in his mouth. "It's great to see you! How are you?" "I'm good, Shining, how are you? Do you mind if we talk? In private?" "Of course. Dear?" Shining looked at his wife, who nodded, and levitated the grocery bags into the air and began to walk into the kitchen.

"What's wrong kid?" Shining asked sitting down in a nearby chair. He could always tell when something was wrong with her. "Bad things are happening, Shining. Really bad. I was told that Manehattan was under attack." "Yeah, I heard." Twilight and Shining turned to look at the entrance to the kitchen as Cadence walked in, with a young foal lying on its stomach on Cadence's back.

The filly looked over a Twilight, and waved it's hooves in her direction and babbled, "Aunty Twiwight".

**Awwwww… Twilight's an aunt! Isn't that cute! :D**

***Note: An OC spot is NOT available for Cadence and Shining's foal!**

**Okay, guys once again, reviews are appreciated VERY much!**

**OC's – copyrighted**

**Lightning Strike – Gunzi's Poochy**

**Okay guys, chapter 4 should be out in about 3 - 5 days. A week at most. See you all later! **

**- captainlink**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I've been reading the reviews, and I have noticed quite a few OC suggestions. Several of them will be included in this chapter! And again, your support is ever so appreciated! I wish that I could just put all of your support in a jar and put it in a trophy case! Not the best metaphor, I know, but just an example. This will probably be a very long chapter, so grab your popcorn, a drink, and sit back and enjoy!**

***Note: Disclaimer: I do not own the My Little Pony franchise, The Hub, or Hasbro, blah, blah, blah.**

***Note 2: This chapter is rated T for language, action and violence. **

**Chapter 4: Calm Before the Storm**

"Huh, he's gotten bigger than when I last saw him." Twilight said, walking towards her nephew and running her hoof through his dark blue mane, avoiding bumping her hoof into the young unicorn's small horn. "He certainly takes after you, Shining." "Yeah, but he has his mother's eyes." It was true. The little filly had magenta eyes, just like his mother. "Yeah, our little filly, Starlight." Cadence said, nuzzling Starlight. Shining and Cadence exchanged a quick glance and Shining asked "Hey, Twiley, do you mind if maybe me and Cadence, maybe um, go out for dinner tonight?" Shining smiled sheepishly. "So what you're saying is that you want me to foal-sit Starlight?" Twilight said, grinning. "You don't mind do you?" Cadence asked, "If you don't want to, that's fine." "No, no, no. I'd love to!" Twilight exclaimed, grinning. "Thanks, Twiley! This means a lot to us!" Shining Armor said, smiling.

Twilight was sitting on the floor, rolling a ball back and forth with Starlight. But as Starlight pushed the ball, he slipped and fell over forwards. He began to cry. Twilight scooped him up in her hooves, and whispered, "Shh, shh, shh, it's okay, Aunty Twilights here." Twilight rocked him back and forth, and began to sing a song Fluttershy had taught her, and she began to sing in a sweet, melodic voice. (Awwwww, Yeah! Fluttershy's Lullaby!)

_Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head._

_Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed._

_Drift, drift off to sleep, exciting day behind you,_

At this point, Starlight had begun to nod off, and Twilight continued singing in a melodic tune.

_It's time to go to bed,_

_Drift, drift, off to sleep, it's time to go to bed._

_Hush now, hush now, go to sleep, it's time to go to bed._

_It's time to go to bed, so lay your sleepy head._

Starlight was now sound asleep, his small chest rising and falling. Twilight smiled and picked him up in her arm and carried him to his room and carefully put in his crib, using magic to pull the blanket over him. Twilight leaned over and planted a small kiss on her nephew's head. "Sleep tight." Twilight whispered. She turned to leave, and when she reached the door, she turned and looked at Starlight. A small tear formed in her eye. She was so happy for her brother and sister, and their young unicorn son.

As Twilight walked into the main room of the suite, she felt a horrible feeling in her head, and collapsed onto the floor. As she shut her eyes in pain she saw something, the Manehattan skyline, set ablaze, the fire turning the sky an orange hue. She heard the voices of ponies, screaming in terror. Twilight tried to shut it out, but it was too powerful. The more she tried to stop it, the louder and worse it got. _"Don't block it out, Twilight. Let it flow."_ A small voice said. Twilight slowly relaxed, seeing this horrid scene fold out before her. The voice sounded familiar. Almost like- _"Celestia! Is that you?" _Twilight exclaimed._ "Yes, Twilight. I have come with a prophecy: The fires of-"_

Twilight was suddenly sent back to Shining Armor's suite. There was a rapid knocking at the door. Twilight staggered towards the door, and opened it, almost being knocked over by a speeding Rainbow Dash. "Ugh! Dash! What's going on?" "Twilight, you got to come, quickly, quickly!" She was panting heavily, as if she had been flying a far distance.

"I'll explain on the way! Just come on!" Rainbow dash exclaimed, grabbing onto Twilight's shoulders, and taking flight, zoomed out of Shining's suite, flying a few dozen feet above the streets of Canterlot.

"Rainbow Dash! Tell me what's going on! NOW!" Twilight shouted. Rainbow Dash stopped, dropping Twilight off on the top of a building. "There are hundreds of soldiers loading up on the airships to retake Manehattan!" Rainbow Dash shouted pointing off in the distance. For a moment, Twilight was sent back to the vision she had just moments prior. The fire, the dismay, ponies fleeing for their lives. Twilight turned in the direction of the airship docks. She saw that her friend was right. Dozens of military airships were docked, and Twilight could see the small figures of ponies loading up onto the ships. "There so many of them. I fear some of them may never return." Twilight muttered darkly.

**-Manehattan, Three Days Later-**

Fires torched the skies above the large city of Manehattan. All civilians had either been evacuated or were staying in the military camps around the ruined city. A large grey unicorn stallion, almost as large as Big Mac, stood on the bow of a military airship that was approaching a drop-off point. The ship was sent from Canterlot to send supplies and deliver a few soldiers. As the ship droned over the landing zone, the stallion peered down at the scene before him. Several soldiers walking back and forth, all of similar build. As the ship was beginning to dock, the stallion heard a whistling noise.

"Incoming! Hit the deck!" cried a soldier nearby him. The stallion instantly dove for the floor, as several small explosions hit the deck and balloon of the craft. The aircraft began to plummet, before hitting the ground. The stallion glared at the small craters on the ship which revealed several black, insect-like creatures. "Changelings." Muttered the stallion in an unforgettable German accent, before unsheathing the sword at his side and standing in a bipedal-style. "Jour all like bugs, torn wings, big bodies, small minds, unt Swiss cheese horns!" Shouted the pony, taunting the creature, who retaliated with a furious hiss. The changeling leapt at him, but the German stallion avoided him, causing the changeling to land on the deck, and the stallion, seeing this moment to attack, plunged his sword deep into the changeling's back. The changeling shrieked in pain. With a surprising amount of strength, the changeling forced the stallion off of it. The changeling got back up, although bleeding profusely from the wound in his chest, began to stagger towards the stallion, but collapsed and died. "Tough vittle cud-eaters. Okay, who's next?" The stallion charged at another changeling, who was about to attack a Pegasus soldier from behind, while he was preoccupied with fighting another creature.

Stark heard a furious roar behind him, and after giving the changeling he was fighting a fatal slash across its chest with his sword, he spun around, ready to attack whatever came next. In front of him he saw a large grey stallion standing above a dead changeling. They exchanged nods, and then went back to back, and then began hacking and slashing at anything that wasn't a pony. As they began cutting down enemy after enemy, they began to hold a conversation (A conversation in a battle. Seems legit). "So how jou holding up Stark?" The grey stallion asked the light brown stallion behind him. "Couldn't be better, Mechapony!" Stark replied to the grey stallion. Stark and Mechapony resumed their duel until stark said, "Screw this! Hey, mind holding onto this?" Stark asked, tossing Mechapony his sword and he caught it in his left hoof. Stark took flight, and hovered a few feet above his enemy's heads, and pulled out a crossbow from on his back. He then proceeded to load the bow and send an arrow directly into a changeling's eye. He reloaded and continued firing.

Mechapony whirled and slashed, cutting down everything in front of him. He engaged a particularly large changeling, almost twice as big as he was. The large creature lunged at him, and Mechapony dodged, the creature snapping its jaw a few inches from his face. Mechapony then slashed at its face. The monster bellowed in pain and clubbed him with a large hooked hoof (I guess they're hooves?). Mechapony grunted, and was knocked back several feet, and wiped away the blood pooling on his forehead.

Stark saw his friend's distress, and turned to see his friend being hit by a huge changeling. Stark quickly exchanged his crossbow for a small sword he kept at his side. He then lunged towards the large creature, roaring.

Mechapony turned to see his friend attacking the creature that had threatened him. Stark flew in front of the changeling to draw its attention towards him. "Come and get me you big fat cud-eater!" Stark shouted, giving the beast a slash across the face. Stark then turned and zoomed out of the creature's range.

Or so he thought.

The changeling shot a burst of green magic into his direction, and hit Stark directly. Stark the fell thirty feet onto the deck of the ship, making a sickening thud on his side. "Stark, NO!" Mechapony shouted, firing a powerful burst of magic at his opponent, causing the great beast to stagger. Mechapony rushed to his friend's side. He turned him onto his back and checked his pulse. _"Still alive." _

Stark groaned, his head spinning. His eyes began to focus he muttered, "Be-behind you" before losing consciousness.

Mechapony spun around, unsheathing his sword, but froze in horror as he saw the large changeling rising up onto its back hooves to crush them both. _"I never thought it'd end like this." _The creature was about to crash down on them, but then the creature was run into by a very large Pegasus, a contrail of smoke following him. The creature was knocked off the ship, and crashed several dozen feet down below them. It didn't get back up. The large black Pegasus touched down in front of them. He didn't introduce himself, but only said, "We had better get your friend to the infirmary." As the large stallion grabbed onto an unconscious Stark, to other pegasi landed on the deck. "Night Gem!" shouted Fleetfoot, a famous Wonderbolt. The black Pegasus rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Fleetfoot. If I hadn't sped ahead of you two, these two would be Pegasus pancakes!" Night Gem said back, before taking flight off in the direction of the nearest camp, carrying Stark.

"He never listens, Soarin." Fleetfoot said, glaring at Night gem. "You can't blame him. He hardly ever gets out. His body build just doesn't fit our performance style.' Soarin sighed "Yeah," Fleetfoot retorted, "but that doesn't give him reason to be a pain in the wing!" Soarin sighed, "I'll talk to him later." He looked down and shook his head. When he opened his eyes he looked at Mechapony. "Hey! Mechapony is that you?" Mechapony grinned, happy to see his old friend. "I was wondering when jou were going to recognize me!" Soarin walked over to his friend and hoof bumped his friend. "How've you been holding up metalwings?" Metalwings was Soarin's nickname for him, due to his metallic wings, which he created himself, giving him the ability to fly. "Well, I'll catch you later; I need to go talk to Night Gem." Soarin leapt into the air, and headed off into the direction of the camp, Fleetfoot not far behind him.

Mechapony strode up to the bow (front) of the airship, and looked out towards Manehattan, the setting sun bathing the land in an orange light, and as the sky darkened, the fires throughout the city lighting the sky an orange color.

Mechapony narrowed his eyes and thought, _"I can't help but feel like this is just the calm before the storm." _

**Okay, guys. How was that? This chapter is Part 1 of 3 in the Fall of Manehattan mini-trilogy. So far we have 3 new OCs, and a mini-plot!**

**OC's – Copyrighted**

**Mechapony – Mechapony**

**Stark – Greenfeather of Moonclan**

**Night Gem – Noxfero**

**Please tell me what you think, Review, favorite, yadda, yadda, yadda. You know the deal. Thanks again for all the support! It is VERY appreciated! Chapter 5 should be up in about 3 days. I will try to post a new chapter every Sunday afternoon! **

**Thank you, all of my loyal readers and supporters, captainlink **


	5. Chapter 5

***Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony, The Hub, or Hasbro.***

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter in the Battle of Manehattan mini-trilogy! This is probably going to be the longest and most epic piece of the story! Enjoy!**

***Note: This chapter is rated T for the typical T stuff.**

**Chapter 5: The Battle for Manehattan**

**-Manehattan, the Next Day-**

Mechapony made his way to the infirmary to check up on his friend, Stark, who had been injured the day before. He had been knocked out of the sky by a massive changeling, and had landed on his side, breaking his left wing. Mechapony hadn't come out unscathed either, the same large changeling had given him a nasty cut across the forehead, and he wore a bandage around the top of his head, and bore small scratches across his large, grey body where shrapnel from various explosions had hit him.

As Mechapony made his way to the infirmary, he passed the command center. It was no more than a large tent, set up to protect the officers, maps, and battle plans, and served as where the soldiers were given their orders. As he passed, he heard some of the officers talking amongst themselves.

"Were any of the supplies from the shipwreck yesterday salvaged?" Mechapony heard one of the guards ask. "No sir, it seems it was a hit-and-run mission. They stole most of the supplies, and attacked our men while the rest were escaping with the supplies." Another voice responded. "Any casualties?" asked the first voice. "Two, sir. Lightning Rod and Greenheart, sir." The second voice responded. (Sorry if those are anyone's OC's. I had no idea!) Mechapony heard a deep sigh. "They were good ponies. They will be remembered. Thank you, captain. You are dismissed." Mechapony began to leave as he heard the captain walk out.

Moments later, Mechapony arrived at the makeshift hospital. The Medical Tent was about as large as the Command Tent, and as Mechapony stepped inside, he almost collided with the Doctor. "Ah, Mechapony, here to check up on Stark I assume?" The doctor asked. The doctor was an average sized unicorn stallion with tan fur, a brown mane and tail, and a red cross for a cutie mark. He was levitating a clipboard with papers on it. "Jes, that iz correct." Mechapony spoke in a German accent. "He's right over here." The doctor said, leading the way to a corner of the large tent.

Stark turned to look at the sound of hoof steps heading his way. When he opened his eyes, he saw the Doctor and Mechapony. Stark straightened up at the sight of his friend. "Hey, Mechapony." "Morning, Stark." Mechapony greeted, giving his friend a nod. "How's the wing?" Stark flexed his left wing and shrugged, saying, "Still broken." "And it's no surprise!" The doctor stated, giving Stark's wing a good look before continuing, "You fell a good thirty feet, from what I heard." "Yeah, well, they're sure that thing's dead right?" Stark said, concern visible in his dark blue eyes. "Don't jou worry; it's deader than a doornail! That blow Night gem gave it had to have been a big one." Mechapony replied, smirking. "Hey, you… didn't happen to tell Green Feathers about this, did you?" Stark asked, arching an eyebrow. "Your marefriend? Yeah, why?" Mechapony asked, grinning smugly (Insert Troll Face here). Stark groaned, throwing his head back, and covering both eyes with his hooves. "No, no, no, no! Why? Just Why? Did Derpy already pick up the mail?" He asked, uncovering one eye, as if he were expecting Green Feathers, to be standing there. Mechapony covered his mouth with a hoof, attempting to stifle a laugh. "Jes." Stark groaned again. "She isn't happy at all that I'm here. Not at all. When she finds out that I got hurt, she's gonna FLIP!" Stark threw his hooves into the air for emphasis." And as if on cue, a bright flash appeared outside the tent. As the light vanished, in its place stood a slightly charred, white female Pegasus with a dark green mane and tail. Her cutie mark was an open book with a green feather acting as a bookmark. On her side she had an open white saddlebag with an emblem similar to her cutie mark, with papers and books sticking out of it. Her sky blue eyes were filled with worry.

Stark shrank under the blanket lying on his bed, attempting to hide from the white Pegasus. _"I didn't think she would get here so soon. I guess she asked one of her unicorn friends to use some sort of fancy-shmancy teleportation spell." _Mechapony thought.

The white Pegasus looked around franticly. When she saw Mechapony and the doctor, she rushed over to them, books falling from her bag and quickly greeted him. "Hey, Mechapony. Where's Stark?" The white Pegasus asked Mechapony, glancing around the tent. Mechapony stepped to the side, revealing a sheepishly grinning Stark. "Uh… Hey, Green Feathers. Um, how are you?" Stark asked the white Pegasus, scratching the back of his head. "Stark! Oh, you poor thing!" Green Feathers asked rushing to Stark's side, and checked his wing. "The doctor already checked it out, and he said that it would be fine in a few days. Right, Doc?" Stark said looking in the doctor's direction. The doctor just shook his head and sighed. "You two know that no pony is allowed on military ground without permission. This is going to attract attention."

A large amount of hoof steps announced the arrival of several other ponies. All four ponies turned to look at the new arrivals. A unicorn captain, along with two other unicorn guards stood inside the tent. The captain glanced at both his soldiers, and on a silent command, went to apprehend Green Feathers. The captain took a step forward, almost tripping over one of Green Feather's books that had fallen out of her bag. He used his magic, enveloping his horn and the book in a blue glow. He held the book in front of him, scanning through the book, his eyebrow raised in interest.

In that same moment, Stark was attempting to put himself into a defensive position between the guards and Green Feathers. "Don't. Touch. Her." Stark growled.

"One moment." The captain said. All eyes turned on the captain recognized. Mechapony recognized the voice as one of the voices he had heard when he was listening to the two officers conversing between themselves. The captain continued, closing the book and waving it in the air. "Is this yours?" The captain asked Green Feathers. "Y-yes." Green Feathers stuttered, standing beside Stark. He was still ready to leap in front, ready to defend her. "Very impressive. You're not the kind of pony I'd expect to come up with battle formations. "_Battle formations?"_ Stark mouthed to Green Feathers, who just shrugged and replied to the captain, summoning her courage. "Just because I can't fight, sir, doesn't mean I can't do my part to help." The captain nodded before continuing. "Well, ma'am, you might have to stay here a while, due to the fact that I don't believe any of the soldiers here know any teleportation spells. Our soldiers are trained in combat magic." The captain glanced at the book and asked, "Do you mind if I show this to the other battle strategists? They may be interested to see some new ideas." Green Feathers nodded, but then her blue eyes sparkled. "Only if I get to talk with them. Maybe we can share notes and come up with some plan that would catch the changeling off-guard!" "I'll see what I can do." The captain said walking out, the other two unicorns behind him.

**-Manehattan, Next Day-**

Green Feathers sat up and stretched. The sun had just risen, but several threatening-looking, grey clouds loomed in the distance, promising a storm later. She looked over to her right, where Stark was asleep. She nudged him with a hoof and whispered in his ear, "Wake up, sleepyhead." Stark slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and grinning when he saw her. "Morning, Green Feathers, how are you?" She nuzzled him, laying her head on his left shoulder and whispering, "Just glad you're okay." He embraced her, and began to stroke her mane. The two sat there, enjoying each other's presence. Green Feathers broke the embrace and said, "Do you want me to show you a bluff I found, not too far from the camp, where we can talk?" (No inappropriate scenes, don't worry.) Stark chuckled, and replied "As long as we don't have to fly." The two shared a small laugh, before rising and walking away, side by side.

Night Gem was stretched out on his back a cloud above the camp. That was where he had slept the night before. He preferred clouds over cots any day. He flicked his ears in the direction of two voices.

"Over here, Stark." Night gem heard a female voice say. "I'm coming, Green Feathers, I can't exactly fly you know." _"Stark? Isn't that the name of some Pegasus I rescued a few days ago? And who's this Green Feathers person?_ _And a better question, what are they doing away from camp? I don't recall a patrol being sent this way until this afternoon. Unless, oh… For Celestia's sake! Really? _(No Mr. Uninformed, they're just gonna have a chat, I'm not that kind of a writer. Jeez.) Night Gem tried to sneak away as quietly as possible, so he could leave the two alone in peace.

"Right here." Green Feathers said sitting down and patting the ground next to here, indicating Stark to do the same. Stark sat down and took in the view. They were sitting on a bluff that was overlooking a forest, and Manehattan could be seen not too far away.

"Stark?" Green Feathers asked, her light blue eyes looking deep into his dark blue eyes. "Yeah, Green Feathers?"

"I want you to come home." The fear in her eyes betrayed the calmness of her voice.

"What do you mean?" Stark asked, taken aback by his marefriend's sudden statement. "What I mean is… that I'm afraid for you Stark. I… I'm afraid that you'll get hurt. More so than you already did."

"But look! My wing's fine!" Stark stood up and flexed his injured wing. It still hurt, but Stark decided it was best no to tell her that.

"I… I just don't want you getting hurt. When this fight is over, I want you to come home. Please? When this is all over, it'll be just like normal. The princesses will raise and lower the sun and the moon. We'll have all our friends. It'll be perfect." Stark sighed. "No, it won't Green Feathers." Stark shook his head, saying, "I can't help but feel like that after this, things will never be the same again." Green Feathers' eyes suddenly widened, and she stared in shock at something behind Stark. Stark turned around quickly ready to defend them. But when he saw what it was, he too stared in shock. A large black cloud was headed in the direct direction of the camp. "Oh, no. Come on Green Feathers!" Stark said, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

(Dramatic music begins to play)

Rain had begun to fall as Stark reached the camp, panting. A horrid sight greeted him. The soldiers were outmatched. But not out gunned. Several unicorns were using their horns as spears and shooting powerful magic blasts. Some were using levitation to wield three swords at once, two in their hands, and one hovering in the air. The Pegasus soldiers had taken to the air, firing arrows in to the masses of enemies. He wasn't sure what to do. But as Changeling lunged at him, he reared back and kicked it directly in its face. There was a sickening crunching noise as the changeling fell back, out cold. _"Now how to finish the job?" _And as if on cue, a Pegasus soldier nearly fell on Stark. He had several scorch marks on his body, and Stark was sure he was dead. _"No time to check." _Stark thought, grabbing the dead pegasi's bow, arrows and the sword at the fallen soldier's side. The weapon he had picked up was a recurve bow, a personal favorite of his. Stark wished he could leap into the air, and join his comrades in repelling this hostile invasion. As he approached the heart of the battle, he began attacking a Changeling that was near the back. The creature turned to attack him, but with lightning speed, Stark had already swept his legs out from underneath it, and had driven his sword deep into its rotten heart, painting his sword in green blood. Stark heard a familiar shout. "I NEED ASSISTANCE!" "_Mechapony!" _Stark cut his way through several enemies, trying to reach his friend.

Mechapony was dueling with a changeling, who was using it's horn as a sword and slashed at him, trying to kill him. The changeling quickly turned around and kicked him, causing him to stumble. While he was distracted, the changeling sliced his leg, causing him to drop his sword. Mechapony shouted in pain and collapsed, clutching his bleeding leg. _"Cud!" _He muttered. He swore that his life had begun to flash before his eyes. Just when he thought it was his time, an arrow pierced the changeling's chest. The changeling muttered something unintelligible, green blood frothing at its mouth, and fell dead. As the creature collapsed, Mechapony saw Stark standing a few meters away. Stark chuckled, rushing over to help his friend up and snickered, "Look who needs the saving now." Stark retrieved the fallen sword and passed it to his ally. "Get ready." The two stood beside each other, outmatched by dozens of enemies.

With a roar, Stark and Mechapony charged their opponents. They took them all on. No fear. No regrets. Only the heat of a furious battle. The blood of dozens had painted their swords green. Soon, there was nothing left of them. The dead, the injured, all defeated. Stark stood panting. His body bore the markings of a great battle. Mechapony too bore the scars of victory. All around them were the fallen. Brothers in arms and bitter enemies alike. This day would be long remembered.

Stark was relieved to see the battle had ended. He sat down hanging his head and closed his eyes. He was exhausted. _"Maybe I should go home after this. I could live with Green Feathers Back in Ponyvi-" _His eyes suddenly snapped wide open, and he looked around frantically. _"Green Feathers! Where is she! I haven't seen her since when I ran back towards the camp!" _Stark quickly got up and asked;

"Has anypony seen Green Feathers?"

**Uh,oh… It seems something bad has happened to our newest OC. I am posting this a day early, due to the fact I will be very busy today and tomorrow, when I planned to post this chapter. So get ready for the epic conclusion to this mini-trilogy next Sunday!**

**OCs – Copyrighted**

**Stark & Green Feathers – Greenfeather of Moonclan**

**Mechapony – mechapony**

**Night Gem – Noxfero**

**Chapter 6 be posted next Sunday, so do not fret by faithful readers! Again, thank you all for all the support, I have about 350 readers and it means SO much to me that you guys like my story enough to continually check up on it!**

**Yours truly, captainlink**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well guys, this is it. The last chapter of the Manehattan trilogy, but certainly not the last in this story. The Fall of Manehattan. And now, my fellow bronies/pegasisters, I give you ponies. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 6: The Fall of Manehattan**

Stark had looked around wildly for Green Feathers. He had searched the entire camp several times over the past two days. Now, he was lying down in his tent, having been released from the infirmary, and he was staring out in the distance. _"I have to find her. No matter how long it takes. I will find Green Feathers." _He slowly stood up, carefully not to wake anyone else up and alert them about his rouge mission.

"Now where do jou think jou're going?" An unmistakable German-accented voice asked him as soon as he was out of the tent. Stark looked over his shoulder at his friend, and looking forward. "I think you know what I'm doing." Mechapony chuckled, "And what makes jou think I'm gonna stop jou? Maybe I'd like to help jou." Stark suddenly looked behind him in surprise. "You know we can get in serious trouble for this." "I know." Mechapony simply responded. Stark nodded and closed his eyes, saying, "Thank you."

Stark poked his head out from under a few leaves. The two were hidden under a few shrubs around the outskirts of Manehattan. Stark checked out their surroundings. Stark noticed a hole large enough for them to squeeze through in an apartment, six stories up, with smoke trailing lazily from it. "Hey, you see that hole up there? In the apartment building?" Stark asked, getting Mechapony's attention, who was inventorying the items they had. "Jes, the one with smoke billowing of it." "Which will give us cover." Stark said, exasperatedly. "Did you bring those gas masks we 'borrowed'?" Mechapony nodded and pulled out two gas masks from a camouflaged bag. Stark nodded, before accepting the mask and fitting it over his mouth and eyes, securing the strap on the back of his head. The mask covered his entire face, and a small bud fit snugly in his ear, which was connected to a microphone on the inside of the mask. The mask also covered his eyes, with grey tinted glasses.

"Okay, synchronize microphones." Stark said, checking the microphone. "Synchronized." Mechapony responded, nodding. "Good, get ready to move, on my mark." Stark said, arching his back and preparing to fly towards the hole. "3… 2… 1… GO!" Stark and Mechapony simultaneously leapt for the hole, spreading their wings and quickly diving into the hole.

Stark lead the way, slowly checking the rooms for any enemies. There were several dead bodies throughout the apartment. Stark kicked open a door on the top floor. Stark quickly looked around the room. Falling onto his stomach, he crawled towards the balcony, looking out onto the street. A group of Changelings patrolled the street from the air, passing a few meters above him. "Okay, let's split up." Stark whispered. "I'll move east, and you track them. Call if you need backup." Stark said, glancing at the patrol. Mechapony nodded, leaping out the window and silently followed the patrol.

Stark was crawling on a catwalk in a Manehattan Theater when an-all-too familiar voice entered his ears. _"Green Feathers?" _Stark shook his head, and then checked his radio, to make sure he wasn't picking up any interference. _"It sounded just like her. I could've sworn-"_

"I already told you I don't know anything else! Can I go now?" Stark gasped. _"I knew it! I just knew she was alive!" _Then he heard a snicker. "Jusst because your little 'coltfriend' isss worried about you, you cannot leave." _"Who is she talking to?" _Stark carefully peered over the catwalk, down onto the stage. Stark's heart sank. Green Feathers was surrounded by of a group of changelings. Her back was to him, so he couldn't see if she had been injured or not. Stark slowly moved for his bow. He froze as a changeling glanced in his direction. The changeling turned back to face Green Feathers a few seconds later. Stark continued for his bow, and fit the arrow into its place. He pulled the bow back, but right before he let go, he heard something that made his heart sink. "Fine. You may leave. Return to you friendsss. Continue reporting on their activity, _spy._"

"_Wh-what? S-spy? Green Feathers is… a spy? No! She can't!" _he heard a small voice ask an undeniable question. _"Why else would she have been so worried about you?" _Stark swallowed the rising bile in his throat before contacting Mechapony over his communicator, whispering. "Mechapony, we've got a problem…"

Mechapony had been following the enemy patrol for about fifteen minutes. As he crouched down on a nearby rooftop he scanned over the area. He could see a tall building a few dozen meters away, swarming with changelings._ "Looks like a command center. Let me just mark these coordinates-" _Mechapony's communicator beeped several times. Mechapony quickly fell to his stomach, hoping his position hadn't been compromised. Mechapony clicked on his communicator, and heard Stark say "Mechapony, we've got a problem…" "Stark. I seem to have vound ze enemy's main base." Mechapony quickly replied, cutting Stark off from telling him what terrible revelation had occurred. "Uh, good. What is your position?" Mechapony looked around for an identification on his location. "Multi-story building on the 4th Hoof and Mane Street intersection." "Okay, give me ten minutes. Let me just get Green Feathers out of here-" "Wait, you found Green Feathers! That's great!" Mechapony asked, cutting off Stark again. "Yeah. It is." Stark muttered flatly, turning off his microphone.

"_I _am_ going to her out of here. And _I _will find out what's going on!"_ Stark thought, drawing his bow, and prepared his arrow.

Green Feathers glared the changeling facing her. He stood nearly a foot taller than her. He turned to one of the changelings in formation around her and said "Take our '_friend_' to her room, and make sure she doesn't run away." As soon as they were out of sight, Stark loosed his arrow. A changeling suddenly collapsed, an arrow piercing his forehead. _"One down, five to go." _He drew another arrow, and prepared to fire. When suddenly, a laser blast scorched the wall near him. _"Cud!"_ Stark swore to himself. "_I gotta move!"_ Stark grabbed the handrail, and flung himself over the railing and spread his wings to adjust his direction to crush a changeling's skull as he landed. The changeling's head went into the ground, and made a sickening noise. He dove for another, grabbing another by the throat, causing it to gag and used his body as a living shield using the protection to exchange his bow for his sword, and swung the changeling's body to deflect an incoming laser blast. The changeling let out unearthly squeal as the blast impacted its back and killed it. With a surprising amount of force, hurled the dead changeling into another one, knocking it out. Stark quickly turned to face the remaining two changelings, and asked, tauntingly, "Shall we continue?"

Both of them leapt at him simultaneously, hissing. Stark flipped backwards, spreading his wings to give him some extra lift. He landed, standing bipedal-style, and held his sword in both hands. A changeling was faster. Right before Stark charged, a changeling blasted his sword out of his hands, and it landed a few meters away. Stark grimaced, and ducked, barely avoiding a laser blast. Stark rolled, attempting to retrieve his sword. As he stood he picked up his sword, and rushed his attackers. He slashed one across its face and it collapsed, and then Stark turned to hit his other enemy. He didn't see it. Stark looked from side to side. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on finding his enemy. He heard a buzzing noise above him, and rolled out of the way, just barely dodging a dive-bombing changeling. The changeling crashed, and created a sizeable crater in the stage floor. As the changeling stood back up, Stark went for its throat. He leapt onto it, pinning it to the ground. Stark held his sword up to the changeling's throat and hissed "Where. Is .She?" The changeling replied with a hiss. Stark gave him a glare and pressed his sword harder against the changeling's throat, cutting it. "I'll ask you. One. More. Time. Where. **Is. SHE!"** The cut on the changeling's neck began to bleed. The blood ran down the changeling's throat and began to pool on the floor. The changeling feebly pointed off in the direction of a corridor. Stark looked up, and while he was distracted, the changeling shoved him off. Stark grunted as he landed on the floor. The changeling began to feebly crawl away. Stark got back up and leapt onto its back. The changeling growled as Stark landed on its back. Stark clubbed the changeling with the pommel of his sword, killing it.

"_C'mon Stark, where are jou?" _Mechapony thought, unaware of his friend's predicament.

Green Feathers sat, laying on one of the couches in the Manehattan Theater lobby. Suddenly, she heard a commotion outside of the lobby. She suddenly sat up and heard a familiar voice, shouting "WHERE IS SHE!" _"Stark! He must have lead a rescue mission when he realized I was gone!" _ The door suddenly burst open and revealed Stark standing bipedal-style and holding a changeling guard, his sword at its throat. "Green Feathers!" Stark exclaimed, and tossed the guard aside. "Stark! I missed you so much!" Green Feathers said, leaping into Stark's hooves. Stark removed his mask and embraced her, but only said. "Come on, we've got to go."

Mechapony raised a hoof to his communicator to contact Stark. "Stark, where are jo- oh, cud." Mechapony cursed, spotting the multiple enemies heading his way. "Stark, I need jour help, NOW!" "Just hold on! I'm coming!" Stark shouted over his radio.

Stark and Green Feathers flew low over the Manehattan streets. Stark quickly changed the channel on his mask, which he had reequipped. "Equestria attack division! This is Sargent Stark of the Equestrian Armed Forces. I request assistance! Our location is 6 miles northwest from your encampment!"

A communications officer stood over a computer, and relayed the message to Captain Spitfire of the Air Force division in the Manehattan military camp. Spitfire quickly selected the Pegasi she was going to take to assist their comrades.

Spitfire stood on the main deck of an Equestrian Air Force (EAF) airship. "Now, we are going directly into the heart of enemy territory." Spitfire addressed her soldiers. "Our objective is to help two of our troopers get out of enemy territory. Destroy any hostiles in your way." Spitfire finished, before donning a helmet with goggles and a small microphone. "Prepare to engage."

Mechapony had been holding out on his own for the past few minutes now, firing powerful bolts of energy at the opposing changelings, when he heard wings flapping behind him. He quickly turned around to see Stark and Green Feathers landing. Stark quickly rushed behind an overturned carriage, using it as cover, Green Feathers behind him. "We should be receiving reinforcements any minute now." Stark informed Mechapony. "Vundabar." Mechapony replied in German. Stark leaned out from behind his cover, and loosed an arrow into the masses of enemies. Suddenly a shadow loomed over them. Stark turned up to see an EAF airship rotating to its right side to face the changelings, its four massive propeller engines droning. Stark could see the cannons on the ship taking aim at the groups of enemies and firing. Stark ducked down as explosions rocked the ground in front of him. "Stark!" A voice shouted at him over the explosions.

Stark turned to see Night Gem, fully armored, land down behind him. "I hope you left some of them for us!" Night Gem joked before drawing a bow from his back and sending several arrows downrange. Stark looked up at the airship to see a group of Pegasi soldiers flying out and onto the field, drawing their weapons and clashing with the changelings. The airship had now aimed their cannons to fire on the enemy base. The rounds completely obliterated all the changelings on that level of the building and much to Stark's horror, hundreds of changeling began billowing out from several levels of the building, heading towards the airship. "EVERYPONY ON THE AIRSHIP, _**NOW!**_" Stark shouted, before flying up to land on the airship, Green Feathers close behind him.

Night gem heard Stark's order to retreat. He leapt into the air, rolling to avoid the energy blasts being hurled in his direction. He turned to see how many men had heard the retreat order. He counted most of them. Night Gem thought darkly _"The rest must be dead." _Just when he was a few meters away from the airship, he felt a searing pain shoot through his entire body. Night Gem shouted in agony.

Stark turned to see Night gem plummeting towards the ground. "Green Feathers!" Stark shouted "Get on the ship, and stay there!" Stark turned to seed down towards his falling comrade.

Night Gem's life flashed before his eyes as he fell. _"Well, it's been a good run. Good bye. Soarin, Fleetfoot, Spitfire… It's been so good knowing all of you…" _ He suddenly felt something grab onto his shoulders.

Stark gripped onto Night Gem's shoulders. He was able to slow his decent, but couldn't pull him back up. He suddenly heard a metallic whirring noise and saw Mechapony grabbing onto Night Gem as well. The trio flew up quickly, fortunately avoiding the laser blasts.

Stark and Mechapony carefully lowered Night Gem onto a cot below deck. His breathing had become shallow. "I don't think he's gonna make it, Mechapony." Stark whispered, shaking his head.

"Night Gem!" Stark turned to look and see Spitfire running towards them as the ship lurched, indicating they were taking off. They were heading for Ponyville, and were nearing the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. "Night Gem! What happened?" Night Gem grunted before replying. "Cud-eating Changeling… ugh… hit me hard… Don't think I'm gonna…" "No. Don't talk like that. Your… You're gonna make it." Spitfire told him, but she knew she was wrong. She knew how dire his situation was. "Spitfire…" Night Gem started "There's… There's something I need to… ugh… tell you… be-before I go." Night gem looked deeply into Spitfire's eyes, which were brimming with tears. "I… Love… You…" A weak smile appeared on Spitfire's face before she replied "I love you too." She laid her head on his shoulder, finally revealing her greatest secret. Night Gem sighed happily, and after a few moments, exhaled his last, a faint smile on his face. "Ni-Night Gem-m? No…" Spitfire whispered, realizing her love was no longer with her. She began to sob quietly, laying her head on his chest.

Stark laid a hoof on Mechapony's shoulder, indicating they should leave. "Spitfire," Mechapony said, "Jou know he would want jou to remain strong." "I-I know. I'll be there in a moment." Mechapony nodded, before following Stark up to the main deck. An unwelcome sight greeted them. Several groups of changelings had followed the airship, and Stark saw several bolts of energy heading towards them. Stark drew his bow, and ran for the back of the ship. As Stark ran for the back of the ship he saw a bolt hit the airship pilot directly on his unarmored back. The pilot collapsed onto the steering wheel of the ship, causing it to veer sharply downwards to the left.

The ship suddenly lurched and Mechapony went sprawling to the left side of the ship. _"Either ze pilot iz drunk or dead! And I'm going with dead!" _Mechapony thought. A barrel flying towards him swept him from his thoughts. He was about to move when a rope pulled tightly around his leg. He turned back to the barrel and thought _"Son of a-" _The barrel fit him hard, sending an unconscious Mechapony flying off the ship, towards the thick canopy of the Everfree forest.

Stark threw the dead pilot off the steering wheel, and attempted to regain control. Stark could see the outskirts of Ponyville about a quarter of a mile away. _I gotta get us on the ground. I hope the Apple family doesn't mind if we cut down a few trees!" _Stark looked up to see several holes that had been torn in the balloon of the ship by the changelings. Stark shook his head. _"Manehattan has fallen."_

Applejack leaded out of the window in her room.. It was a quiet night, with a refreshing breeze blowing through her blond mane. She could've sworn she saw a commotion off in the distance, over the Everfree forest, and it seemed to be getting closer. _"Now what in tarnation is that?" _Applejack thought, squinting her eyes. She saw something slowly falling, and heading towards Sweet Apple Acres. _"Is that a ship?"_ Applejack's eyes suddenly widened. _"Eeyup, it is."_

**So, Manehattan has fallen. Green Feathers is a spy. Night Gem is dead. Spitfire is depressed. Mechapony just fell 50 feet and landed in the Everfree forest. Oh yeah, and a huge ship is about to crash into Sweet Apple Acres. I think this was a good chapter. Have a good week.**

**OC's - Copyrighted**

**Night Gem – Noxfero**

**Stark/Green Feathers – Greenfeather of Moonclan**

**Mechapony – mechapony**

**Okay, guys. Another successful chapter! And just to let you all know, I will be setting up an email account for you guys to send me questions, fan art, and stuff like that. It should be up be next week. Until then, arivaderchi!**

**-captianlink**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay guys! I made an awesome discovery! My story has had over 500 reads! This is a major milestone for me! Now I need ask Pinkie Pie to throw a party! Because of that, I am posting this chapter a day early, and I want to thank you all! It's because of all of you that my story is being written! As long as you all stay with this, I'll keep on writing! Again, thank you all! And by the way, I plan on creating a section of a blog specifically for the purpose of you guys asking me questions. More information will be available at the end of the chapter. But anyway, onto the story!**

**Chapter 7: Unfolding Destinies**

Applejack quickly recovered from the fact that a giant airship was heading for sweet Apple Acres. She had rushed into her sister's room, and tossed a drowsy Applebloom on her back, before rushing to wake up her older brother, Big Macintosh.

"Big Mac! Big Mac, wake up!" Applejack shouted, furiously shaking her brother. Big Macintosh raised his head and arched an eyebrow. "Eeyup?" He asked sleepily. "We need to get out ah' the house! NOW!" Applejack shouted, before rushing out and downstairs. He could tell she was serious. Big Mac quickly shoved his head under his pillow and pulled out his Smartypants doll he 'found' after a certain purple unicorn had used a certain magic spell, which turned the ponies into a crazed mob, over a doll. _His _doll (Hehehe…). He too rushed downstairs to join his sister outside.

"_Can't control her, I got to put her down somewhere!" _Stark thought to himself, trying to regain control of the doomed airship. He looked and saw the top of the Apple family barn fast approaching. "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Stark shouted, trying to alert anyone he could. The collision was bone-jarring.

Big Mac saw his sister staring in shock at the ship, on a collision course with their barn. Big Mac turned to look behind him, and as he did, he jaw dropped, releasing the doll from his mouth. The ship had taken out half of the loft of the barn.

Stark's body shook from the sudden impact. He gritted his teeth, preparing for the second impact, when they hit the ground.

All three pairs of eyes, including a now fully-conscious Applebloom, tracked the descending ship and watched as it collided with the earth. "C'mon, Big Mac! Let's go see if they be needin' help!" With that she turned, and rushed towards the crash site, Applebloom close behind. Big Mac placed his doll at the base of a nearby tree, and rushed to help his younger siblings.

Stark's head was throbbing. His vision was blurred. _"Must… have hit my… head…" _He rubbed his head and closed his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He opened his eyes, and saw a familiar figure. _"Green… Feathers…"_ The white pegasus rushed towards him. "Stark! Stark, are you okay?" She asked frantically. Stark tried to stand up, but his legs were too weak to support him. He collapsed with a grunt. "I- I'll be fine." He said flatly, not looking her in the eyes. "Just… need a… minute."

Stark swiveled his head when he heard a southern-accented voice shout out "You all be needin' some help?" Stark looked to see an orange earth pony with a blonde mane galloping swiftly towards them, a smaller light yellow earth pony following her. _"Good… help…" _Stark thought, his mind clouding and his vision blackening as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Mechapony slowly opened his eyes, unsure what to expect._ "Either I'm dead, or a prisoner to those dirty changelings!"_ As Mechapony opened his eyes fully, he realized he was suspended a few meters above the ground. His leg was wrapped around a rope, which was secured to something that was shrouded in the tree limbs and leaves. His metallic wings were dented out of shape. _"And no longer of any use to me." _He saw a sword stuck in the ground a few feet from where he was suspended. _"I'm going to have to severe ze wires." _Mechapony reached out and used his magic to levitate the sword into his hoof. He rotated the sword in his hoof so he could slip the tip of the blade into the small space in between his body and the plating the covered all the mechanisms to control his wings, he felt the sword push up against something and he didn't feel the cold steel on his back. _"Wire one, here we go."_ Mechapony shifted the sword up and down, sawing through the wire as best he could in this awkward position. He felt the sword go through, and continued sawing through the wires. When he cut all the wires, he shook his body as best he could to dislodge the wings from his back. It clattered to the ground with a noisy metallic clang. _"Hope nothing heard that." _Mechapony shifted his body to cut through the rope suspending him in the air. "_Almost… there!" _Mechapony thought triumphantly. _"Wait…" _Mechapony began to fall, and landed hard on the ground with a thud.

Mechapony got back up with a painful grunt. He turned quickly when he heard snarling behind him. He found himself staring at a pack of Timberwolves. _"Cud."_

Knowing that he was in no state to fight, Mechapony turned tail and fled. One of the Timberwolves behind him gave a howl, and the pack began to pursue after their escaping prey. Mechapony's head was pounding. _"Can't outrun them. Can't fight. Cud." _ He saw a clearing in the trees ahead. _"I'm almost ou-!" _Mechapony's thought were suddenly interrupted when his left hoof caught onto a tree root. Pain shot up his leg as he tripped. The Timberwolves were upon him in an instant, snarling.

"WAIT!" Mechapony's and the Timberwolves heads all turned in the direction of the shout. Mechapony saw a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane and tail swoop down grace fully, landing in front of the Timberwolves. "No! Bad Timberwolves! Bad!" The yellow pegasus sternly scolded the wolves. Mechapony could only stare at his rescuer in shock. The Timberwolves ducked their heads and whimpered. "Oh, it's okay. You're all very good boys." The pegasus said, scratching one of the Timberwolves' heads, and it returned the compassion by licking her check and happily wagging its tail.

"Bu… but… Huh? What? How did?" Mechapony stuttered. The pegasus turned her head to look at Mechapony. "Oh my, I'm sorry. I… um, didn't see you there. I um… thought those wolves were chasing some helpless little creature." She said, shyly, hiding behind her mane. "Well, I'm no helpless little creature." Mechapony responded, rising to his hooves. "Thanks for your help…" "Fluttershy." She responded, finishing the sentence. Mechapony nodded, "But I think I'll be fine on my own." Mechapony finished, standing up. He walked a few feet before gasping as he felt pain shoot through his hoof. Fluttershy gasped and rushed next to Mechapony and held up his hoof. 'Oh my, your poor hoof! It's broken! Come on, I'll take you back to my cottage. It's not too far from here."

**About an-hour-ish-later**

Mechapony glanced down at his hoof, which Fluttershy had put in an arm sling. She had also wrapped the top of his head in gauze where she claimed he had hit his head. Now she was carrying in a bowl of soup, and placed it down in front of him. She closed her eyes and gave a melodic whistle, and a second later, a small green hummingbird landed on his ear. "Now, Mechapony, this is my little friend, Hummingwing. See, he let me help him, and he got better really quick!" Mechapony raised an eyebrow before replying "I don't think I need convincing that jou have a medical PhD, Vuttershy." "I don't have a medical PhD. I have a PhD in adorableness, though! (Sorry, had to do it!)Fluttershy said, grinning. "Okay… So when my hoof going to be fixed? Like, a few days?" "Probably a week, at the least. But, you can stay here at my cottage while you hoof is healing, if you want." Mechapony smiled. He felt a sudden joy he hadn't felt in a long, long time. "Jou know, I think I might stay a while, if you don't mind." Fluttershy smiled too, and said "Follow me, I'll show you to the guest room."

Mechapony was laying on the bed in the guest room of Fluttershy's cottage, thinking. _"I can't believe I even thought a nice, soft pegasus like her would have any feelings for a war pony like me." _Mechapony sighed and rolled over, trying to sleep.

Fluttershy was sitting on her green couch-like bed. She was thinking, her head laying down on her hooves. _"I can't believe I even thought a war pony like him would have any feelings for a nice, soft pegasus like me." _Fluttershy sighed, and closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake her.

**Looks like we might have a new plot coming up soon! Hehehehe….**

**OC's – Copyrighted**

**Stark/Green Feathers – Greenfeather of Moonclan**

**Mechapony – mechapony**

**Yes, yes, I know this chapter was shorter, but it's likely I will post a new chapter in my free time in my free time on Labor Day. So, like I was saying earlier, if you guys have any questions for me, or, if you're an artist, feel free to send me your work! My email is . I am also trying to let one of my friends let me post YOUR work and questions on his website! If you guys want to check it out, the website address is , feel free to check it out! And in Discord's words, Arivaderchi! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, guys, like I said, I'm going to make a new chapter on Labor Day. Due to technical difficulties, my email and website were not posted, so here they are: Email: captain. link Hotmail. com Website: www. jch26 .com. So send your questions, ideas, comments or even fan art, and I will post it on my page on the website! Enjoy the next chapter in Rising Storm!**

**Chapter 8: A Ray of Starlight**

_To her highness, Princess Celestia,_

_My dear majesty, I regret to inform you that despite our best of efforts, our attempt to reclaim Manehattan has been fruitless. Our divisions have evacuated from the area, along with several dozen civilians we were able to rescue. Several of the civilians have taken up shelter in the town of Ponyville, where several of the Ponyvillians have offered a temporary stay for the refugees. Whereas we are clueless as to where the changelings are operating from, or where they will strike next, we are doubling our patrols and security protocols, which shall allow us to discover our foe's base of operations that much more quickly._

_-General Steel Shield of the Equestrian Armed Forces_

Celestia folded the letter from where she was sitting and levitated it onto a table in her bedroom. _"So Manehattan has fallen under her rule." _Celestia thought, grimacing. _"Chrysalis will pay for her crimes." _Celestia stood and made her way to her bedroom. She check on her pet phoenix, Philamena. The phoenix squawked, happy to see her. "Good evening, Philamena, are you hungry?" Philamena nodded and squawked. She magically grabbed some special birdseed and opened the door on her pet's cage. Philamena stretched out her wings and glided over towards Celestia, and landed on her back. Celestia held the seeds out in front of the phoenix, and she began to devour the seeds. As she finished, Celestia levitated the rest of the seeds into a golden bowl in Philamena's cage. Following the seeds, Philamena fluttered into her cage and finished off the seeds. Smiling, Celestia magically closed the cage door and turned to her bed, yawning. Stepping up to her bed she used her magic to pull the royal purple bed sheet aside. She collapsed onto her bed, and pulled the sheet back over her. Here, she didn't need royal posture. Here, she could be her own pony, no different than a civilian getting ready for a nice sleep. Celestia sighed peacefully, glad she could finally relax. Celestia's eyes slowly closed, drifting off to sleep.

An image formed in the celestial princess. She saw six grey, pony-like shapes, all facing a familiar figure. One of the shapes stepped forward, and spoke in a clear, bold voice. "You are going to pay, Chrysalis! This is for Celestia! For Equestria! For EVERYTHING!" A bright glow enveloped the six ponies, and a magical blast of unimaginable strength was shot at the Changeling Queen.

Celestia's eyes opened wide as she bolted up in her bed. She glanced at the grandfather clock to look at the time. _"11:28" _Celestia sighed, getting out of her bed. "_After that, I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a while."_ Celestia walked to the door of her room and opened it with her magic, and carefully closed it, trying not to break the peaceful silence. She made her way to the balcony near the throne room. As she approached it, she was unsurprised to see a midnight black Alicorn with a flowing blue mane sitting on the balcony, looking out unto the stars.

Luna exhaled as she felt a strange feeling. A powerful feeling. One of untold amounts of potential. Moments later, she heard hoof steps turned to see her sister, Celestia, approaching her. "Couldn't sleep, sister?" Luna asked, rising to greet Celestia. The two briefly hugged, before Celestia responded "Only a dream. Nothing to worry about." Celestia looked out over the city, seeing the few lights dotting the buildings. "Nothing to worry about, 'Tia?" The younger responded, raising an eyebrow. "I felt it too. A massive magic burst. I could feel the raw power." Celestia looked at her sister. "I didn't doubt that you could sense it, Luna. It was a very strange disturbance. Could you tell where it came from?" Luna nodded. "Yes. It was from the Crystal Empire's territory. Is it who I think it may be?" Luna turned to look at her sister, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. Celestia nodded. "The son of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence?" Luna simply nodded. "Yes. Young Starlight is a Descendant." "A Descendant? You can't be serious, Celestia. Descendants are meant to be the offspring of Alicorns like ourselves, not…" Luna stopped speaking as Celestia rested a hoof on her shoulder. "Descendants, Luna, are the kin of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, sometimes set generations apart. But it seems it is not the case this time. We did, at a time, wield the Elements to defeat Discord, and I when…" Celestia stopped, not wanting to remember when her sister was turned into the dark being, Nightmare Moon. Luna nodded, sparing her sister any agony. Celestia continued, "But only because you and I used them, that doesn't mean that we would have offspring that were going to be Descendants." "Does your pupil know of this event?" Luna asked, changing the subject. "I would not put it past Twilight to take note of the disturbance. She is unmatched in magical skill. She will have more than likely have sensed it." Luna agreed with a nod. "But there is one other thing, sister. There is only one Descendant." Celestia looked at her sister and prophetical responded, "Just like the first rays of a new day, this Descendant will cause the others to awaken and rise." Luna nodded, understanding. "Good night, sister." Celestia dismissed herself and turned to leave. "Good night, 'Tia."

Luna closed her eyes as Celestia left, deep in thought. _"The prophecies are never wrong." _Luna assured herself, but a single question rose._ "But why would there be a Descendant now, and not earlier? Young Starlight may be a Descendant, but finding the other Descendants will take time, and that may be time we don't have." _Luna sighed, and looked up at the stars, trying to find peace among them.

Twilight had just finished reading a chapter in one of her books, and a sudden feeling interrupted her from her late-night reading. Twilight lowered her book and blinked in confusion. She narrowed her eyes in thought. _"What was that? It sure felt weird, but… familiar." _Twilight focused on that feeling as it began to subside, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. _"Weird. Maybe I should write the Princess about it." _She looked over at the clock on the wall to look at the time. "_11:28? Wow, I didn't realize it was that late. The Princess is probably asleep anyway. I'll write to her in the morning. I should probably get some sleep." _Twilight covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. She thengot up and walked upstairs to her bed and crawled into her bed, careful not to awake Spike, who was muttering something about donuts in his sleep. Twilight chuckled as she got in her bed and tried to fall asleep.

**What is this? An ancient prophecy having to do something with that the relatives of the wielders of The Elements of Harmony? What can this mean for Starlight and the other Descendants? How will this all play out? Why am I asking you all this when only I know the answers? Why am I still asking all you guys questions? Do you want to know if OC spots are available for the Descendants? Yes, but they are limited. On a separate note, if I finish a chapter early, then I will post it. Again, please check out the website, and send me any questions or ideas for the story to my email, as shown at top. Until next time, arivaderchi! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Good day, ladies and gentlemen! This captainlink, coming at you from the place where I type my fanfictions! Let's get right to it!**

**Chapter 9: The Descendant**

Twilight looked up from the note she was writing as she heard a knock at the door. "I got it!" A voice called out as her assistant, Spike, rushed over to the door, feather duster in hand. "Thanks, number one assistant." Twilight began to walk over to the door as she heard Spike open it.

It had been three months since Manehattan had fallen. No other cities had been attacked, but Equestria was still gripped in fear. It had also been three months since Twilight had sent a message to Princess Celestia to tell her about the strange magic phenomena she had sensed, and the princess had told her that Starlight and five other fillies would be a part of an ancient prophecy.

"Oh, morning, Fluttershy. How are you?" Twilight greeted her friend as she stepped in. "Good, thank you." Fluttershy walked in, looking around. "Aren't going to say 'good morning' to me, too?" A German-accented voice asked. Twilight turned to see Fluttershy's friend, Mechapony. "Oh, hey, come on in, make yourself at home." Greeting both of them as they stepped in. "Oh, no, we'll only be staying for a while. We were looking for a book on-" Fluttershy was suddenly interrupted by a loud crashing noise. Fluttershy squealed and ducked behind Mechapony. He tried not to seem embarrassed by this but he could feel his face reddening, but Twilight was too busy calling Spike to see his embarrassment.

"Spike! What happened?" Twilight called to him. Spike poked his head out into the main room and said "Okay, for the record, it was not me! It was Starlight! One of his crazy magic spasms or whatever they are!" A slightly charred Spike said, holding Starlight above his head, and carrying him into the main room. At the mention of Starlight, Fluttershy came out from behind Mechapony, much to his relief.

Spike placed the gray filly on the ground and Twilight examined him. "I… I'm sorry Aunt Twilight. I… I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Starlight said, not meeting Twilight eyes. "It's okay. At least you didn't turn anypony into plants." Twilight said with a light chuckle, remembering when she accidentally turned her parents into plants. That got Starlight's attention. "What?" He asked, his eyes brimming with curiosity. "Oh, nothing."

"So that's the little filly I've heard so much about." Mechapony said, looking at the filly from where he stood. "Hi, I'm Mechapony." He introduced himself. "I'm Starlight. It's nice to meet you." Starlight responded. "Are you a unicorn too?" he asked "Sure am, Starlight, and very proud of it." Mechapony responded, proudly grinning. "What magic can you do?" Starlight asked. "Can you teach me?" Mechapony casted a glance to Twilight, unsure what to do. "Maybe when you're older, Starlight. Until then, you need to learn how to control your magic." Twilight interrupted "But, Aunt Twilight! I've almost got it! It only happens sometimes!" Starlight argued "I know, and that's a very good thing. It means you're learning." Twilight replied softly. Starlight sighed. "Okay." Starlight walked away, followed by Spike. "He has a lot of potential." Mechapony commented, drawing Twilight's attention. "You don't think you could teach him some magic, do you?" Mechapony arched an eyebrow before replying "At that age? No. But you can start teaching him soon. Probably some simple stuff, you know, like levitation-based magic." Twilight nodded before remembering what brought Fluttershy and Mechapony to the library originally. "So what book did you need?"

**-The Next Month-**

Starlight furrowed his brow as he stared intently at the open book in front of him. He was looking at a very basic levitation spell, one that a unicorn could use to turn the pages in a book. _"Okay, let's give this a try."_ He closed his eyes tightly as he tried to turn the page. He gritted his teeth and scrunched his eyes harder as he felt a tingling in his horn. "_It's working! It's working!" _

Starlight's horn began to glow an emerald green color and the page that the book was opened to was enveloped in a green light. He forced himself harder and he felt the sensation in his horn grow stronger. His eyes shot open as he heard a ripping sound. When he opened his eyes he saw the book lying on the ground and enveloped in a green magic glow, was the page he had been looking at, floating in the air. Starlight winced as he thought about what Twilight would say. As if she knew, Twilight stepped in and looked at the gray filly. She blinked in surprise as she saw his horn enveloped in a green glow. "Are you using magic?" Twilight asked in surprise. "What are you holding?" Twilight asked as she tried to look behind her nephew. He grinned sheepishly as he hid the paper behind him. Twilight raised an eyebrow and asked "Starlight? What did you?" She quickly lit her horn and raised the filly. Twilight's eyes widened as she saw the ripped book. Twilight felt a shudder run through her. She sighed "I'm sorry Aunt Twilight…" "It's okay. It was a beginner spell book. They don't cost too much. But I need to help you." Twilight grinned, much to Starlight's surprise. "Are you ready to learn?" Starlight nodded eagerly, and hugged his aunt.

**Yes, I know this chapter was shorter, but this is a building block chapter. Now, I have received reports that some of my readers were unable to access the site or my email. So here they are (again): captain. link hotmail. com (No caps, no spaces) And the website: www. jch26. Com (also no caps, no spaces) Enjoy!**

**OC's – Copyrighted**

**Mechapony – mecha-pony**

**Until next time my fellow bronies!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, good day everyone! I've really got nothing to say except; read, review, and enjoy!**

**Chapter 10: Confessions**

Stark panted as he ran through the dimly-lit forest. He saw a clearing ahead. _"Finally!"_ He pushed himself further, trying to get out of the forest. Stark slid to a halt as he came out into the clearing. He blinked as he saw a familiar white Pegasus. _"Green Feathers?" _"Green Feathers? Is that you?" Stark could barely hear his own voice, but she seemed to hear him. She turned to look at him. She began to walk slowly towards him, and he began to walk towards her as well. Stark found it strange that she was here, but he pushed away the thought. The two embraced, Green Feathers laid her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his hoof and neck around her. The two said nothing, but simply enjoyed the embrace "It's good to see you." Green Feathers whispered. "You too." Stark replied "But-" She began.

Stark gasped as he felt something sharp insert his chest. _"Did… she just? St… stab me? But… why?" _He looked down to see a dagger embedded in his chest, with blood beginning to flow from the wound. "Your services are no longer required." Stark slowly looked up. He wished he hadn't. As he meet her eyes, he saw they had turned an evil-looking green color. She grinned evilly and yanked the dagger out at an angle so that it slit his heart. She collapsed onto his side as he felt the wound bleeding out. He felt the world spinning around him as his vision blackened. _"No… Green… Feathers…"_

Stark bolted up in his cloud bed, drenched in a cold sweat. He panted as he checked his chest for any deadly cuts. He wiped his brow as he came to the conclusion he hadn't been stabbed. He glanced over to his left to see Green Feathers. She was still asleep, and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while yet. He tossed off the covers of his cloud bed and put on a bath robe to keep himself warm and made his way to a balcony overlooking a lake. He inhaled slowly, trying to clear the thoughts from his mind. _"That's the ninth time in the past four months. I need to ask her. I need to know what happened." _

"Stark? Are you okay?" Stark glanced behind him and looked back. "I'm fine." Stark heard her begin to leave. "No, don't go. I need to talk to you." Green Feathers stepped over to stand at his side. "What's wrong? Are you feeling okay? This is the ninth time I've seen you like this. Maybe you should see Nurse Redhe-" "Green Feathers." Stark interrupted her ranting. He inhaled slowly. "I need… I need to know what happened." "What do you mean?" Green Feathers asked, putting a hoof on his shoulder "You know exactly what I mean!" Stark snapped, shaking the hoof off. He calmed himself. "I need to know what happened." He closed his eyes. "I need to know what happened four months ago. In Manehattan." "Don't you remember? The Changelings captured me, and then you saved me." Stark shook his head. "But that's not it. I know what I saw. I know... what you did." Green Feathers looked at him curiously. "Don't act like you don't know, Green Feathers. You're helping them. _Them_. Those Changelings. The same ones who killed Night Gem! One of _my_ friends!" He wheeled on her, his words dripping with anger and sorrow. "You… Are… A… Spy…" "Stark… I… I…" She began, but was cut off. "Not only did you betray us, you betrayed Equestria, everypony you care about! You betrayed _me_." Tears were forming in his eyes. He pulled out a small, black box from a pocket in his robe. "I… can't believe… I had even considered… this." He opened the small box, containing a ring. Green Feathers gasped and raised a hoof to her mouth. "You were going to… to…" Stark narrowed his eyes and replied "Yeah. I _was_." Stark closed the box and threw it off the balcony, it no longer having any meaning to him. "Stark… I'm… so, so sorry. I didn't realize…" Stark cut her off again, shouting "Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think I was an _idiot_? Were you _ever _going to tell me about this?" His chest was heaving from his ranting. "Stark… please, let me explain-" "No!" Stark shouted, tears now streaming from his eyes. "I _never, ever_ want to see you in my house _again_." Green Feathers lip quivered, and she began to sob. She galloped towards the edge of the balcony and took flight.

**(That was sad. Tissues anyone?)**

Mechapony sat on the rug in Fluttershy's cottage, looking into the warming fire in the fireplace. There was too much on his mind to fall asleep. Fluttershy was sleeping soundly next to him. They had been spending a lot of time together. She didn't seem to mind that he was staying at her cottage longer than he intended. _"She always was that type of pony. I wonder if? Nah. She probably doesn't have any feelings for me." _ He tensed when he thought of that. _"I wish she did. She's such a nice pony."_ "Why so tense?" A feminine voice asked to his side. He looked to his side, and smiled lightly. "I've got a few things on my mind, that's all." "Like what?" "Well…" He sighed. "I… I'm not sure how to put it. Well I… I've-" "Don't tell me you've decided to leave?" Fluttershy uncharacteristically interrupted him. "No… That's not it. I… I'm planning to stay in Ponyville. Permanently." Fluttershy grinned. "Where?" "Well, if jou don't mind, I was, well, kind of hoping I could live here." He grinned sheepishly. "Oh! That's great!" She wrapped around him in a hug. Mechapony's eye's widened. This was a very awkward moment for him. Fluttershy's eyes also widened after she realized what she had done. She returned to her former position. "Uh… Sorry." "It's uh… it's okay. Do… uh… you think of me like that?" "Will… will you stay? No matter what I tell you?" "Of course. My place is here." "Well," She began. "I… I've always… kind of had feelings for you. But now that we've been spending time together, I just felt like I should tell you." Mechapony grinned, and his expression grew. "Really?" "Yeah." She was hiding behind her mane, so she couldn't see Mechapony's huge smile. He moved the hair concealing her eyes. She blinked in surprise as she saw his expression. "I've had the same feelings for a long time, Fluttershy." She smiled. "Really?" "Jou have no idea." The two happily embraced, having finally confessed their feelings for each other.

Where she was going, she didn't care. She just wanted to be alone. She found herself under a large tree overlooking Ponyville from a distance. She looked behind her as she heard a voice. "What is this voice that I could not miss?" Green Feathers saw a zebra, holding a staff, standing not too far behind her. "Hi, Zecora. What are you doing out so late?" "I might ask you the same question, but I will answer yours without hesitation." She turned to look at the tree they were under. "I always come and sit under the Old Oak Tree for the wisdom I wish to see." She walked over to the base of the tree, holding the staff. "And this night, I seek the Old Oak's guidance." She balanced the staff on the ground and raised herself so that her head rested between a split in the staff at a straight angle. Zecora closed her eyes. Green Feathers stood, giving the mystical zebra a curious gaze. "Feel anything? Any wisdom flowing through you or something?" Zecora's eyes suddenly snapped open. She wobbled, and fell off her staff. "Zecora! Are you okay? Did I interrupt you or something?" She asked, rushing to her side, helping her up. "A new Descendant has come to the light, and must soon be ready to fight." Green Feathers confusedly asked "A new… What?"

**-Meanwhile-**

A large black figure sat back on a throne-like seat. She looked up and slowly opened her green eyes. She tapped her hooves together, ready to bide her time. "Another one? So soon? Well, It seems our plans need to be accelerated." She rose to her hooves and leapt down to the ground, using her green, insect-like wings to slow her descent. She stepped out to a balcony overlooking the ruined city of Manehattan. She raised her voice, shouting "My loyal subjects!" She drew the attention of her minions. "Our plans have been accelerated! Prepare to move out!" A furious war cry rose from the hundreds of changelings below her. _"I will have my revenge, Celestia, even if I have to destroy each and every one of your cities."_

**Well, I think that went well, no? Are Stark and Green Feathers done? Does everyone agree that was really, really sad? Who is this new Descendant? Where is the Changeling army's next attack going to be? Will you please review my story? Will you please not make any rude jokes or argue in the reviews? **

**OC's – Copyrighted:**

**Green Feathers and Stark – Green Feathers of Moonclan**

**Mechapony – mechapony**

**There are currently two OC positions available for the relatives of Pinkie Pie and Applejack that will be descendants. So send those idea on over to me and I'll see what I can do! Until next week!**


	11. Chapter 11

***Long whistle* Wow. Almost 900 reads. That means A LOT to me. It really does. I just want to thank you all for taking time to read this, and those of you have been with me since the beginning, I thank you that much more. I could not ask for a better group of readers. Honestly. You guys are AWESOME! Alright, enough with the thanks and stuff. On with the story.**

**Chapter 11: A Turn of Events**

"But, dad, why do I have to go to the library? It's boring there!" Complained a blue Pegasus filly with a spikey blonde mane, riding on another blue Pegasus with a brown mane flying through the sky. (Do these two sound familiar to anyone?) "I'm sorry, Blazing Dawn, but Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo need my help clearing the clouds today." The brown-maned Pegasus responded to the young Blazing Dawn. "But I'm sure mom and Scootaloo can take care of it all on their own! Don't you have to work at the music club with Vinyl Scratch?" "Vinyl let me have the day off today. It was pretty nice of her actually." "But, dad," Blazing continued "You're supposed to be teaching me the play the guitar when you have time off from work." "Well, Twilight's nephew has been in town for a while, and you two have spent hardly any time together." "But libraries are for _eggheads._" The larger Pegasus, known as Blue "Ace" Bass, chuckled. "You sound just like your mother." Ace glanced down. "Alright, we're here, kiddo.' Ace dipped down and descended to the Ponyville Library. He stretched his wings wide, slowing his descent.

Blazing Dawn jumped off Ace's back and onto the ground as his father folded his wings. Blazing dipped his head. "I still don't see why I can't go to Applebloom's." He muttered as his father proceed to knock on the door of the library. His eyebrows arched in surprise as a light brown earth pony with a stylish dark brown mane opened the door. "Ah! Ace! Good to see you! Come in, come in!" He cheerily greeted, opening the door wider to let the two pegasi in. Ace walked in, with Blazing Dawn slowly trailing behind. "Hey, Mr. Clockwork, who's there? Is Aunt Twilight back?" A voice called from one of the Library's upper rooms. "No, it's Blazing Dawn and Blue Bass!" A gray filly excitedly trotted into the room. "Hey Blazing Dawn! What's up?" He walked over to his friend and raised his hoof. Blazing Dawn smiled, his spirits lifted by the sight of his friend. He raised a hoof in response, and the filly duo high hoofed.

Ace gave a small chuckle. "Still think that it's gonna be boring here?" Blazing Dawn looked at his father. "Well, less, since Starlight is here. Hey, you want to go find Applebloom and Sweetie Belle so they can help us find our cutie marks?" Blazing Dawn asked, grinning. "Why not? Come on, let's go!" Starlight replied, also smiling.

"Now just a minute you two." Clockwork interrupted. "Are you sure Twilight would be okay with you two going on some grand excursion to find something that will only come with time, which you two have been trying to rush for the past few months?" The two fillies glanced at each other, confused looks plastered on their faces. Clockwork laughed. "I'm just pulling your hoof, you two. Go on, have a good time." He said, dismissing them. He opened the door, and the two fillies rushed out, chatting about what they were going to try today all they while. "They're gonna be good friends." Ace said, nodding his head. "I can't argue with that." Clockwork agreed, and went to organizing a shelf of books. "But, Clockwork, where did Twilight go?" Clockwork turned his head, with a book in his mouth. "Wainbew dath dwid'nf tell vew?" "Well, she was pretty exhausted after cloud boarding with Scootaloo yesterday." He tapped his muzzle with his hoof as he recalled the previous day's events. "Almost as soon as she got home she hit the hay." "Das pwobabwy why." He responded, returning to his work, and removed the book from his mouth and placed it in its proper place. "The princesses wanted Twilight to preside over the organizations for the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot this year. She asked me and Spike to look over the Library for her while she was gone. And _viola,_ here I am." Ace nodded his head. "Alright, well, I've got to fly, catcha' later Clockwork." Clockwork waved a hoof in farewell. "See you, later."

**-Canterlot-**

Twilight flipped through her checklist as she walked through one of the halls in the Canterlot Grand Porch, where the Celebration would take place. "Let's see… Refreshments…" She glanced over at a table with a bowl of punch. "Check." Streamers… "Her eyes darted to the varying colors of the streamers strung along the columns of the Grand Porch. "Check. Balloons…" She looked at the colorful balloons. "Check." She glanced up to see the somewhat garish decorations. "Geez, this would be a lot more lively if Pinkie were here." And out of nowhere, a balloon very close her popped and exploded in to a shower of confetti, revealing a pink pony. "Gah!" Twilight yelped in surprise, scattering her papers everywhere. "Party pony Pinkie Pie, reporting for duty, sir!" The pink pony saluted like one of the Royal Guards. "Pink… Pinkie…" Twilight stuttered, trying to catch her breath, "Don't do that!" "Well hey, you said that it would be livelier if I was here and, here I am! Now we can make this into the best party ever!" She punched her hoof into the air for dramatic effect. She then proceeded to pull out her Party Cannon from behind her, which Twilight had not noticed until now, and pondered how that a cannon that was almost as big as she was, and had kept it hidden. _"Pinkie Pie will always be Pinkie Pie."_ She concluded. Pinkie pointed her hoof at a random spot at the top of the room. "FIRE!" She shouted, and on her mark, the cannon sent a volley of balloons and streamers at one of the columns in the large room. She resumed firing at the columns in the room and turning the Grand Porch into an extravagant party room. In mere seconds, the room was filled with colorful balloons and streamers.

The doors to the room opened, revealing Princesses Celestia and Luna, flanked by two white Pegasus guards. "Ah, my faithful student, how goes the prep-" Celestia stopped short, and glanced around the room, an amused look on her face. "How did you?" Twilight shook her hooves defensively in front of her. "Don't ask, because I don't know. It was Pinkie." "And Sam!" Pinkie interjected, motioning to her party cannon. "Sam the Party Cannon!" She glanced down at her hoof. "Oh! Look at the time! I'm really late! I'll see all you later!" She then pulled out a stunt helmet and climbed into her cannon. "Pinkie AWAYYYYYYY!" She shouted as she was launched from the cannon, and flew out of the porch, off in the direction of Ponyville. All five of the ponies remaining in the room stood in silence, trying to take in the antics of the pink party pony. "A very interesting pony, wouldn't you say, sister?" Luna asked, breaking the silence. "Interesting indeed, Luna." She turned her attention to her pupil. "Twilight, thank you for taking the time to do this. The ceremony will begin in a few hours. You deserve a break." Twilight gave a brief bow. "Thank you, Princess Celestia." Twilight then trotted out of the room, off in the direction of the Star Swirl the Bearded wing of the Canterlot Tower.

**-Canterlot Grand Porch, 3 hours later-**

Several dozen ponies chatted amongst themselves as the waited for the annual celebration began. Princess Celestia stood stone-faced atop the porch where she stood, a statue of the sun behind her, with the center carved out. Twilight peered over from her private balcony with white unicorn, Fancy Pants. "I say, Twilight, isn't this always a riveting event?" Twilight offered a nod in response, looking down on her mentor, ready for the ceremony to begin. Celestia spread her white wings wide as the plethora of ponies quieted down in front of her. She sensed the sun's position was almost on the horizon, indicating that the ceremony was about to begin. All eyes turned to the regal white alicorn. The four grey Pegasus guards on either side of her inhaled before leaning down to blow out of several gold-encrusted trumpets. As the fanfare concluded, Celestia raised her wings and slowly took flight, flying into the center of the hollow statue. She was raising the sun in sync as she was rising, and as she reached the top of the statue, the sun too reached its apex.

Almost everypony in Ponyville was gathered outside of the Ponyville Hall. (That really big building in the center of Ponyville, I forgot what it was called.) They were all gazing at Canterlot in the distance, and watching the sunrise. All the ponies in Canterlot and Ponyville cheered as the sun rose. Whereas it was an event that happened every day, all the ponies were appreciative of the princesses raising and lowering the sun and moon.

But… the ponies in Canterlot were strangely quiet, Celestia noticed. As she landed and opened her eyes, she heard a clapping noise. "Bravo, Celestia, bravo." Celestia narrowed her eyes. "Chrysalis." Twilight gasped. _"Oh, no! What's she doing here?"_

"Seize her!" Celestia shouted. The eight pegasus guards began to walk towards the Changeling queen, swords drawn. "Oh, I don't think so. GET HER!" Chrysalis shouted. The eight pegasi were then briefly enveloped in a green flash. As the glare subsided, in their place were eight armed changelings in standard royal guard armor. They hissed with swords drawn and approached Celestia. Everypony was in a panic. Twilight knew she could do nothing, but she knew she had to try _something_. She turned to race down the stairwell to assist her mentor.

Celestia charged her horn and fired a volley of magic at theChangelings in front of her. One… Two…. Three… She picked them off one by one. Chrysalis growled. "If you want something done, you have to do it yourself!" She charged up her horn and aimed at the preoccupied Celestia.

Twilight's hooves pounded on the marble floor as she felt a magic rift. A very powerful spell was charging. Twilight prayed it was the princess. As she raced into the room, she saw a large black figure about to fire a spell at the distracted princess. "Celestia! Look out!" Twilight cried. But she was too late. Chrysalis fired the spell just as Twilight finished her cry. Celestia looked at the queen a second before the spell hit her. Her body was impacted by the beam and her face was contorted into pure shock. "NO!" Twilight cried as she saw Celestia's body crash to the ground, encased in stone.

Chrysalis turned to look at Twilight, grinning evilly. "Ah, yes, Twilight Sparkle. I was hoping you would be here. Were you suspicious of me impersonating Cadence again, and feeding off your precious brother?" She laughed evilly and walked over to the magenta unicorn. "Oh, no. Not this time. This time, I won. Equestria is mine. And your petty pony princess is my prisoner." She leaned down so she was eye-level with Twilight "Oh, don't think I haven't forgotten about you. You will suffer accordingly for foiling me last time." She gave the changelings a silent signal to arrest her. She restrained as a changeling placed an anti-magic collar around her neck. "Take them back to the city." The remaining five changelings nodded and picked up the stone princess and the arrested magenta unicorn and walked out of the Grand Porch.

The Changeling Queen cackled as she saw her defeated rivals being lead out of the room. "Now…" She began taking to the air, her insect-like wings buzzing, and addressed her new subjects. "Consider yourselves under a new monarchy! The New Changeling Empire!"

**Looks like there's a new monarchy in town. Mwahahahahaaa… How many of you thought I was gonna kill Celestia? There's still time… *evil laugh while lightning flashes in the background***

**OC's – Copyrighted**

**Blazing Dawn and Blue "Ace" Bass – thunderhawk6894 (I would suggest reading his stories, they're really good.)**

**Clockwork – Ghost2291**

**I think that was a pretty awesome chapter. I'm debating rather to leave it here, or keep going on for about a dozen or more chapters. Maybe I'll let you guys decide. Give a suggestion. Oh, and on a side note, OC spots are currently available for the descendants of Rarity and Applejack. Oh, and also, if you guys want to see a side story, feel free to suggest an idea! I always appreciate them! On another, another side note, if you want to use my OC, Starlight, in your story (ies), please contact me first. Later, bronies!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh, the irony in the last chapter. In case any of you are wondering, there is still an OC spot available for the Descendant of Honesty, which would Applejack's relative, and if there are any backstories you would like to see, please leave your idea in the reviews, if I approve, I will contact you. The same will work if you want to use my OC, Starlight. This chapter won't be as action-packed as others, but there will be a lot of development. A LOT of development. **

**Chapter 12 – Resurrection**

Twilight grunted as she was unceremoniously tossed into a prison cell by a changeling. As she got up to see her surroundings, she noticed that there was an anti-magic collar placed around her neck. She was in a cell in the Canterlot Prison. A single shaft of light illuminated the cell.

Twilight's mind was racing. "_How did Chrysalis get here? How was she not seen by any of the guards? Is Celestia okay? Does anypony know I'm even here? What will happen to Equestria?" _"Well, well, well. It's so nice to see you again Twilight." Twilight turned to the cell door to see the Changeling Queen. "How are you finding your new home?" She smirked. Twilight snarled. "Where. Is. The. Princess?" Chrysalis leaned forward. "Oh, your dear Princess is my prisoner. She will never rule the throne again. This is my kingdom now. Equestria has reached a new golden age. I will turn this kingdom into a powerful empire. And nopony can stop me." "Except me." Twilight returned, and charged her magic. Chrysalis smirked. As she was about to blow to door down with her magic, she cried out in pain. She dropped to the ground. Small lightning bolts raced around her body. "Oh, you little fool. Your magic is useless. That collar causes your magic to have a reverse affect, so you only harm yourself." Twilight struggled to get up. "I hope you choke on your own cud." She threatened. Chrysalis growled, and swung the door open. She charged in and picked up the magenta unicorn by the throat. She pinned Twilight against the wall and stood bipedal-style. She narrowed her eyes as Twilight began to gag. "You may just be a petty subject, but I might have some use for your… particular talent." Chrysalis narrowed her eyes tighter, and her eyes and horn began to glow.

Twilight's eyes shot open in horror. A mass of semi-transparent greenish smoke began to flow out of her horn. The smoke began to could Twilight's vision, and as she tried to breath, she began to choke on the smog. She could feel it seeping into her mind.

Chrysalis loosened her hold on the unicorn and she dropped to the ground, holding her throat and struggling feebly. Twilight's body began to convulse as she continued trying to breath for a few moments. Chrysalis just stared at the suffering pony. Twilight could hear Chrysalis's voice in her head. "There is no point in resisting. Your… mind… **is… MINE!**"

Twilight screamed out in pain as the smoke seeped further into her mind. Chrysalis' horn glowed brighter as the smoke turned a darker shade of green. Twilight screamed louder as the spell finished. Chrysalis held the spell a few moments longer to make sure it had worked. The smoke dissipated as Twilight's screaming ceased. Twilight's body shuddered for a moment. As she stood up shakily, Chrysalis saw that Twilight's irises had turned green. As Twilight looked at the queen, she slowly bowed. "Rise, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight stood up and faced the Changeling Queen. "Tell me, Twilight, what is your one desire?" Twilight paused for a moment before answering. "My one desire… is to serve the Queen." As she finished, she bowed again. "Excellent." Chrysalis grinned as her new minion bowed before her.

Rainbow Dash swallowed as she flew next to Ace. "Are… are you sure we should tell him?" Ace glanced at his spouse. "Twilight is his aunt, Dashie. He has the right to know." Ace glanced down below him. "It looks like we're here." He dove down and flapped his wings as he descended. He landed, Rainbow Dash landed next to him. Ace knocked on the door and waited for somepony to open it. He was met with a familiar face as Clockwork opened the door. "Ace! Rainbow Dash! How nice to see the both of you! Come on in!" The two pegasi stepped in. Clockwork could tell something wasn't right. "Hey, are you two okay?" Ace shook his head before replying. "Is Starlight around?" "I'm here, Mr. Ace!" Starlight answered, coming out from one of the other rooms. "Have a seat, kid; we've got something to tell you."

Tears began to flow from Starlight's eyes as Ace and Rainbow Dash told him what had transpired over the past few hours. "She… she was captured?" Ace nodded his head slowly. "And the Princess was turned to stone. Canterlot has fallen, and Chrysalis has created a 'New Changeling Empire'." Clockwork nodded before asking. "But what about Princess Luna?"

"I have yet to be defeated." A voice rang out from the room. All of the ponies in the room looked around to look for the speaker. "Over here." There was a shimmer of light as Luna, ruler of the night, stepped out in front of them. All the other ponies in the room briefly bowed as Ace asked, "Princess Luna, if I may ask how you were not captured by the changelings?" Luna smirked. "A simple question receives a simple answer. As soon as I felt my sister turned to stone, I fled here until it was safe to expose myself." Luna turned to Clockwork, "Mr. Clockwork, if I do not intrude, may I stay here until the time is right for my return?" Clockwork nodded, "Of course, your majesty, I would be graced if you stayed here, and I'm sure Twilight would feel the same way." "Thank you, now, I must choose a form to retain until that time." Luna's horn flashed, and the ruler of the night was enveloped in a mystic glow. As the light dissipated, a figure stood in place of Luna. She stood at the size of an average pony. Her coat was a purple color, and her mane no longer flowed like it originally did, instead, it was a dark cyan color and was styled like Rainbow Dash's but without the rainbow coloration. Her tail was in a style like Twilight's, but it was shorter and her eyes were a light blue. She still had retained her horn, but her wings had disappeared. Her original cutie mark had been replaced by a six-pointed white star. All the ponies stared at the figure in Luna's place. "Princess Luna?" Ace asked, "Please," Luna interrupted. "Call me 'Starshine'." She closed her eyes. "And now, it is time for a day to end." Luna closed her eyes as she began to lower the sun and raise the moon.

"You can still do that? But what about the sun in the morning? Can you raise it?" Rainbow Dash asked. Starshine nodded "My power has multiplied since my return. My strength is almost equal to that of my sister's. But it would be best if I kept it concealed. If anypony saw me in the act, it would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention." Starlight's gaze drifted to Starlight. He had his head down and was sniffling. Starshine walked over towards the filly and placed a hoof on his shoulder. He looked up and wiped his muzzle with his hoof. "Twilight Sparkle will be fine. She is the most talented unicorn I have ever had the honor of meeting. Okay?" Starshine give him a light shake. Starlight nodded "Okay." Starshine removed her hoof. "In the morning, it will begin your training. Now, go get in bed. You have a full day tomorrow." Starlight slowly made his way to the upper bedroom.

"Are you sure he's ready Luna- I mean, Starshine? I don't know much about your unicorn magic-control stuff, but he's pretty young." Ace asked when Starlight was gone. "Starlight is ready. Twilight was going to train him, but then there was this… interruption. So I must take it upon myself to train him." Starshine closed her eyes for a moment. "Ace, Rainbow Dash. There is something I need to tell you." Ace and Rainbow Dash looked at her intently. "Your son, Blazing Dawn, is a very important pony." "What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Blazing Dawn, along with Starlight, is a very important part of an ancient prophecy that speaks of six ponies, the relatives of the wielders of the elements of harmony, who are going to banish a great evil. My sister and I both believe that Chrysalis is this great evil, and Blazing Dawn and Starlight, along with four other ponies, will save Equestria." Ace and Rainbow were speechless as Starshine finished. "Our… son? Is a part of a prophecy?" Ace asked. "Well," Rainbow responded, "It's no different than me being a part of defeating Nightmare Moon." Rainbow glanced at Starshine and rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh… Sorry." Starshine gave Rainbow a brief stare. "Rainbow Dash is right, Blue Bass. This is little different." "Yeah," Rainbow interjected. "And if Blazing Dawn is _anything_ like me, he'll beat Chrysalis in ten seconds flat!" "Well, Starshine," Ace said "Thank you for letting us know about this development. It was nice seeing you again." Starshine nodded. "May the blessings of the Solar Sisters go with you." Starshine walked up to the balcony as Ace and Rainbow Dash left. She gazed out at the stars and sat down. She shut her eyes. _"Celestia, I promise you, I will train Starlight to become as powerful as his predecessors. He and the other Descendants will banish this great evil. I swear this upon my status as a member of the Royal Alicorn family. I shall not fail you again, sister."_

Starlight crawled into Twilight's bed. He gazed out through the window at the moon. _"Please be safe Aunt Twilight."_ His eyes fluttered closed as he yawned. He began to snore softly as he fell asleep.

Chrysalis looked over the city as she saw the sun begin to descend, and the moon began to rise. "Luna... Although you do not realize it, you are but a pawn in a larger game." She turned to look at the green-eyed Twilight. "Come, my subject, I need your help with something." Twilight had been freed under Chrysalis' orders, and the collar had been removed from her neck. Twilight placed an arm across her chest. "Your wish is my command." "Follow me. We are visiting an old friend." Chrysalis lead the way to a statue of a familiar Draconequus. Chrysalis spoke slowly. "Discord. Your time has returned. You will spread chaos throughout the New Empire upon those who wish to break us. You will be my greatest asset. For Celestia has taken your place in a stone prison! You will be resurrected!" Chrysalis fired a laser through her horn, and it struck the center of the statue, and it began to shatter. Twilight also charged her horn, but the magic glow that enveloped her horn was now green. It also struck the statue, the combined power of the two raised the statue and it was enveloped in an unearthly green glow. Pieces of stone began to crumble from the statue and crashed onto the ground. A laugh emitted from the statue. Twilight and Chrysalis finished the spell and the light disappeared. Floating in the air was the lord of chaos, Discord. Discord landed on the ground and grinned. "Oh, it's so nice to be back! I had unfinished chaos to attend to!" "There will be time for that, old friend, but now; there is a glorious new kingdom to rule!" Chrysalis said, drawing Discord's attention. "I see you have a new minion, too! It's so nice to see her again!" Discord leaned close to Twilight's face, waiting for a response. A few seconds later he frowned. "What's her deal?" he asked and pointed a thumb at Twilight. "A mind control spell. She is completely under my control." Chrysalis began to walk into the large castle, followed by Twilight. "But come, Discord, we have a new kingdom to attend to." Discord followed the Queen and her minion into the castle, as the moon's glow was cut off by a cloud, darkening everything.

**Wow… It just keeps getting better, doesn't it? Arguably the two greatest villains in Equestrian history are ruling the empire. Twilight is under a mind-control spell, Luna has taken refuge, and the lord of chaos has returned! And Starshine (Refugee Luna) can be used as an OC. If you have any questions, please leave them in the reviews.**

**OC's – Copyrighted**

**Blazing Dawn & Blue "Ace" Bass – Thunderhawk6894**

**BTW, if any of you play on the Brohoof Minecraft server, I am located at s81. Please feel free to contact me so we can meet up and chat. **

**Woot! Discord FTW! Arevaderchi! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow. Just wow. My story has had 1,000 reads. I never really thought I would have 1,000 this soon. I intended to upload two chapters this week, but due to lack of time, I was unable to do so. So instead, I would just like to say thank you to you all for the support! But without further ado, here is chapter 13!**

**Chapter 13 – A New Empire**

Chrysalis slowly made her way to one of the large rooms inside the Canterlot Castle. It had been three weeks since she usurped the throne and named herself queen of the Changeling Empire. Discord, under Chrysalis's command, had been reigning chaos upon any oppressors who might stand up to the Empire. "_But even he may not be enough." _She thought, doubting his abilities._ "Maybe the light will be shown to them not by one they fear, but one they trust." _She paused for a moment as she walked past a familiar door. An evil thought entered her mind. "_Yes. Captain Shining Armor. I must speak to him later on."_ She continued walking down the corridor. She eventually made her way to a large door and, using her magic to open the doors, let herself in.Inside she found her new minion hovering in the air in a sitting position with her legs crossed. In front of her were several opened books and unrolled scrolls.

Twilight noticed the Queen's entrance. As Chrysalis approached, she ceased using her levitation spell and slowly lowered the books and scrolls surrounding her. She wore black robes that stretched from her neck down to her flank, giving her an almost menacing appearance. The robes stopped flowing as she touched down on the ground. As the queen reached her, the corrupt Twilight bowed. "Rise, Twilight Sparkle. How go the preparations for my new castle?" Twilight stood back up and replied, "Smoothly, your majesty, but it will be a few more weeks before everything is complete." "Good." Chrysalis murmured before turning and making her way to the door. "There is no other pony I would entrust with such a task." "I am honored, your Highness." Twilight thanked before bowing again, holding that pose until the queen had departed.

Chrysalis sat upon her new throne. The large seat was sleek black and had a shield and a pair of black, jagged, crossed swords above it. She kept an eye on the changelings and artists working on the new glass artwork displaying her as the new victorious ruler of Equestria. One depicted her above Celestia and Luna, both of which were bowing down to her. Another showed a group of ponies cowering in fear below her. Her gaze drifted for a moment to the next mural before she was interrupted by a knocking on the great throne room doors. "Enter." The queen pronounced boldly, before the door was opened with green magic. Tow ponies, one a white unicorn with a blue mane with cyan highlights in purple and gold armor, and a light orange Earth pony with a greying mane and a steel-grey shield for a cutie mark. Both the ponies stepped up to the throne before bowing to the queen.

"_Oh, how I hate doing this." _The unicorn,Shining Armor, thought angrily, "_Bowing like some cowardly filly to this cud-eater! The same one that tried to use me to try to ruin my own marriage, AND the same one who turned my sister in to a mind slave! This had better be worth my time!"_ "Rise." The queen commanded as both the ponies in front of her rose. "Captain Shining Armor, I have a very important mission for you." _"Oh, does she now?"_ He thought sarcastically, although he wouldn't dare say it out loud. "I want you to return to Ponyville." Shining Armor flinched slightly as Chrysalis spoke of where his sister had resided up until the past three weeks. "And what would you have me do there, _your majesty_?" She loathed saying that to her. She was not his ruler, not as long as one of the Solar Sisters still lived. "Captain, I want you to go there and crush any possible uprisings. I will not stand for any subordination. And just to make sure everything goes smoothly, I have notified the Red Hooves commander stationed there that you will be arriving soon." Shining Armor bowed again before addressing the Earth pony. "General Steel Shield, in case of possible insurrections, I want you to begin training new recruits for the united army." Steel Shield raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "A united army, your majesty?" Chrysalis smirked lightly. "Between the Changelings and Equestrian forces, of course. We are no longer enemies, are we not?" "Of course, your majesty." He answered before bowing. Shining Armor also bowed, guessing the meeting was coming to a close. "Dismissed." Chrysalis said before releasing them. Chrysalis leaned back in her throne and placed her forehooves together. Steel Shield departed first, and as Shining Armor was also about to exit, Chrysalis called to him. "And I mean _any_ uprisings, Captain." Shining nodded in acknowledgement before leaving the room.

"Are you sure you have to go, Shining?" A pink alicorn standing next to him asked. They were both at Shining Armor's suite on the west side of Canterlot. "I'm sorry, Cadence," Shining responded to his wife. "But this is important." He glanced at a family picture of their family from about a year ago. He picked it up with a sigh. Shining was on the left of the picture, holding Starlight in the crook of his arm, and Cadence was standing next to him on the right, smiling at the camera. "I wish things could be like they were. Easy and simple." He looked at his wife, still holding the picture. "Not living under this tyrant." He muttered darkly, referring to their new ruler, Chrysalis. "So where are you going this time?" Cadence asked, trying to change the subject. "Ponyville." He responded simply. Cadence's face exploded into a grin. "You'll get to see Starlight!" Shining Armor perked up some at the thought of visiting his son, who he had not seen in a few months. "I suppose you're right." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "My flight leaves soon." He looked at his wife. "This is goodbye, for now." Cadence threw her hooves around him. "Goodbye." She whispered in his ear. "Be safe." "I promise." He whispered back. The couple briefly kissed, and Shining made his way to the door.

Shining Armor paced back and forth on the main deck aboard the zeppelin that was transporting his division to Ponyville. It was a medium-sized craft, used mainly for military transport. The captain had told him the flight would take a few hours. He decided to take that time and address his soldiers. He turned to look at each one of them. "Alright, boys, here's the deal. Her _majesty_, Chrysalis, wants us to go to Ponyville and eliminate any possible insurrections. Any questions?" A black Pegasus, Lightning Strike, spoke out. "Will it be just us, sir?" Shining stood in front of the Pegasus who had asked the question, "That's a negative, Lieutenant Strike. One of the Red Hoof Divisions will be there to assist us if necessary." He continued pacing back and forth. "Are there any other questions?" He was greeted by silence. "No? Good. We land in Ponyville in approximately an hour and a half. Prepare for drop-off then. Dismissed!" All the soldiers on the deck gave him a salute before marching below deck. Shining looked out over the bow of the ship at the afternoon sky. He caught sight of the distant town of Ponyville on the horizon. _"I'll be there soon, son."_

The branches from the Ponyville Library cast a shadow down on two unicorns, keeping them cool on that warm day. Starlight furrowed his eyebrows as he concentrated on the pebbles in front of him. His horn was enveloped in green as he reached out with his magic and began to levitate the small rocks, also enveloped in green. Starshine sat a few feet in front of him. "Good," She murmured. "You certainly have potential." Starlight slowly levitated the rocks a few feet into the air. "Very good. Now do you think you can set them back down as gently?" Starlight gave a quick nod as he began to gently lower the small rocks back onto the ground. Starshine nodded approvingly as the rocks landed on the ground. "Starshine?" Starlight asked. "Can we do something else? We've been doing this for weeks! I want to learn to teleport!" Starlight complained. Starshine smiled. "I don't see why not." She stood up. "If you think you can handle it, that is." Starlight bounced up and down. "Don't worry! I can handle it!" Starshine began to walk away. "Alright then, let's find somewhere to try it out, shall we?" Starlight quickly ran to catch up to her.

As the two were walking through the Ponyville streets, either said very little. Starshine was thinking about her life as a refugee. _"I'm not too happy to admit_ _it_, _but I'm really beginning to enjoy this new life. I never knew Ponyville was this nice. I never came here, except for Nightmare Night. It's quiet, peaceful…" _She shook her head. _"No. I can't think like that. This kingdom needs me." _She glanced down at the young unicorn walking next to her. _"Starlight needs me." _She looked around for a nice spot where Starlight could practice teleporting. She noticed a nice, shady spot under a tree. She walked over to the tree, Starlight trailing behind her. She stood under the tree as she explained the basics of teleporting. "…So all you have to do is concentrate on the place you want to teleport, and use your magic to move all your body mass to that location. Like so." Starshine lit her horn and she disappeared in a flash before reappearing a few feet away. "See? Simple!" Starlight jumped up and down excitedly. "Can I try it now?" "Of course. Try and teleport right… Here." She instructed as she drew an X shape on the ground. Starlight stared at the mark on the ground. He squinted as he tried to teleport. He felt his body transform from a solid mass into energy. The feeling disappeared an instant later as his body returned to a solid state a few feet above the X mark and crashed. He sat up and rubbed his head with a hoof. "You did excellent on your first try, Starlight." She glanced to the sky. She noticed that the sun was near the horizon. "Come on. Let's go back to the library." She said as she began to walk towards the direction of the library.

Shining Armor stepped off of the deck of the airship on solid ground. As his division made their way into the Red Hoof base at Ponyville, he stepped up to an aged brown Pegasus with a grey mane. "Captain Shining Armor, my name is Dynamo." He said, sticking out a hoof. "Nice to meet you, Dynamo." Shining replied, and shook the aging Pegasus's hoof. "Now, Captain, I'm sure you aren't here for a pleasure trip." Dynamo said flatly before walking towards the barracks. "Let me introduce you to Commander Blue Arrow." The two walked for a few moments inside the barracks before coming up to a table.

At the table, two other pegasi were seated, one red with a brown mane, and another that was a dark blue with a less grey mane, having a conversation between each other Shining could pick out a few words that sounded like the red one was talking about Applejack and something about foals. The blue one turned his head to see Dynamo and Shining Armor approaching them. He turned back to the red one and quickly said in a rough Scottish accent, "We can talk about your wife and foals later, lad. I know they're important to you." He turned to Dynamo. Dynamo gave a salute as he reached the blue Pegasus. "Commander, this is Captain Shining Armor from Canterlot." The commander stood up. "Glad to see you, Captain. I am Blue Arrow, Commander of this outpost, and this is Papyrus." Blue Arrow introduced, indicating to himself and the red Pegasus, in that order. "Thank you, sir. It's good to be here." He closed his eyes briefly. "Sir, I have family here. Is that alright if I go and see them? And I'll need Papyrus to come with me." Papyrus looked at his commander hopefully. Brue Arrow narrowed his eyes in thought. "One day, lad. One." He said staring at Papyrus. Papyrus saluted. "Thank you, sir." He began to walk away happily at the thought of seeing his wife again. Shining walked beside him, and thought, "_I'll be there soon, son."_

**Well, another chapter to add to the collection. Again, I would like to thank you all for letting me use your OC's, and for supporting me! Now, I have a few questions for you all. Do you think I should make a sequel to this story when it is finished? Should I add more OC's? Should I post this On FIMFiction? Do you guys like this story? Please leave answers, comments, or ideas in the reviews. BYE!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, great to see you all again! Now, I'm sure some of you have been thinking that the fighting's not gonna start up again. But trust me, it will. There will be some major fighting in a few chapters. So, onto the chapter, then!**

**Chapter 14: Family Business**

"So as you know, Shining Armor, Applejack is my wife, and one of my fillies is training to be a Red Hoof, like myself, whereas my other filly is going to be helping AJ at the farm." Papyrus explained as he and Shining Armor were walking through the streets of Ponyville. Shining nodded. Papyrus looked off in the distance at the apple fields around Sweet Apple Acres, where he saw his wife bucking away at the apple trees. He placed his hoof at his lips to tell Shining to be quiet. Shining nodded with a small smirk. Papyrus took to the air and flew silently towards the tree AJ was kicking.

Papyrus settled in the tree shrubbery as his wife was about to buck it. As she bucked it, the red pegasus fell with a fake cry. Applejack spun around in surprise as Papyrus jokingly shouted, "Hey! Can't a pegasus sleep around here!" Applejack grinned as she saw her husband. "Papyrus! It's so nice ta' see ya', sugarcube!" She exclaimed as they hugged. Shining Armor came up not too far behind and smiled. "Hey, Applejack." Applejack let go of Papyrus. "Shining, nice to see ya' too! How are ya'?" Shining smiled "I'm fine AJ. But I need to go to the Library to see Starlight. Come meet me and the others at the Library in about an hour, okay?" Papyrus nodded. "Sure thing, Shining. See you in a while." Shining began to walk back towards Ponyville. "You two have a nice time."

Clockwork snored quietly as he slept in a chair in the Library. It had been a long day, and he thought he deserved a rest. He was rudely awoken by a knocking on the door. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, "Why is it," He groaned, "That every time I get some time to relax, somepony _always_ knocks on the door?" He walked over to the door, slightly hunched over from having just woken up. He opened the door and said, "I'm sorry the Library is clo- Shining! Nice to see you! Please, come in!" He exclaimed, opening the door. He continued ranting, "I knew there was a group of soldiers coming to Ponyville, but I didn't know it was going to be you!" "It's nice to see you too, Clockwork. But, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to my son." Clockwork nodded quickly "Right, let me go get him. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you again!" Clockwork rushed into another room to find Starlight. Shining settled down in a chair while he waited for Clockwork to reappear with his son.

It was a few minutes later that Clockwork came back with Starlight. Starlight followed closely behind Clockwork. When Starlight and Shining's eyes locked there was a brief silence before Starlight leapt towards his father and Laughed. "Dad! Dad, I missed you so much!" Shining hugged his son and laughed. "I missed you, too, son. But, there's something I need to tell you. All of you. Everypony else will be here soon. I can tell you all then."

**-One Hour Later-**

"Now, I'm sure you are all wondering why I called you here." Shining Armor began, now that all of his sister's friends, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, who was being unusually calm, Fluttershy, and her new friend, Mechapony, Rainbow Dash, Blue Bass, along with Applejack and Papyrus had arrived. "I would certainly hope so, darling! You're keeping me from making a new dress for Sapphire Shores!" Rarity complained. "Of course, Rarity, I won't keep you all long." Shining cleared his throat before he began speaking. "Now, as you all know, my sister was captured. But that's not all of it." Shining bit his lip, as all the ponies in the room looked at him with combined looks of fear and interest. "Not only was she captured, Chrysalis turned her into a slave. She… She corrupted her mind. Her very soul and thoughts are tainted with dark magic." Everyone in the room gasped at this surprising and disturbing revelation. Shining chocked slightly before continuing. "She is completely under Chrysalis's control." There was a few moments' silence before Rainbow asked darkly. "And did you do a _thing_ about it?"

When Shining looked at her curiously, she continued. "One of our _friends,_ your _sister_ no less, was turned into a slave, and did you do _one _thing about it?" She asked, flying up and glaring at him. "Rainbow…" Blue Bass said, trying to calm his wife down as Fluttershy and Mechapony exchanged worried glances. He placed a hoof on her shoulder, trying to bring her back down. Instead, she shrugged the hoof off and sped in front of Shining. She glared at him angrily. "You did _nothing. _Absolutely _nothing_!" She shouted. "And what would have had me do, Rainbow?" Shining asked, his anger beginning to rise. "Lead a band of soldiers in an attempt to rescue Twilight? Have them imprisoned for treason, or _killed_ even? So you tell me, Rainbow Dash, what would you have me do? What the buck would have had me do!?" He asked sternly, poking her in the chest with his hoof. "Hey!" Ace shouted, "Keep your hooves off my wife!" He took to the air, flying next to his wife. "Um, maybe we could all just calm down? Please?" Fluttershy meekly inquired. Shining ignored her and stared down Ace. "You wanna go flyboy?" Ace pounded his forehooves together. "Alright! Let's go _hornhead_!" Shining pawed angrily at the ground, preparing to charge at the blue pegasus, also angrily pawing at the ground. A second later, both angry stallions charged at each other.

There was a loud shout followed by a burst of magic. "PLEASE! STOP! JUST STOP!" Starlight shouted as a powerful outburst lifted up both the stallions a few feet in the air and dropped them on the ground. The blast also knocked multiple books off the shelves and threw everyone a few feet back from where they had just been sitting. Starlight released his hold on Ace and his father a moment later as everyone recovered from the grey unicorn's sudden outburst. Starlight sat down and sniffed, looking down. "Please, just stop. I… I just can't take any more." He sniffed again. "But, dad?" He asked his father, looking up at him. "What are you going to do? What about Aunt Twilight? _Are_ you _going_ to rescue her?" Starlight asked, wiping away a tear that had formed in the corner of his eye. Shining Armor shook his head solemnly. "I don't know son. It's not like we can march in there and rescue her."

"And why can't we?" Mechapony asked, speaking up for the first time since having arrived there. All eyes turned on him, full of surprise. Even his marefriend, Fluttershy, looked at him in surprise. (Yep. Marefriend. Deal with it.) "What do you mean, Mechapony?" Ace asked curiously. "I don't see why we can't." He responded. "We all know jou don't like this new ruler as much as anypony else, Shining. We can train the citizens here in Ponyville to fight the changelings. The Ponyvillians have always been some of the fiercest of Celestia's loyalists. They would fight to the death in an attempt to restore Luna to the throne." At this time, Luna's presence in Ponyville was well-known, but it had been kept under wraps. "I understand your point, Mechapony. But how many other ponies here will agree? And how do we know if the Red Hooves will help us or hinder us? They might turn us in for treason."

Papyrus cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Now, Shining, this is coming from a Red Hoof. The Hooves were an elite team, started by Celestia herself. They are loyal to the Solar Sisters, not Chrysalis." Shining nodded in agreement before asking, "But how do you know Blue Arrow will agree to this?" Papyrus chuckled. "The commander has been on edge since Chrysalis took over. I've heard him mutter about the start of a rebellion. This may be said chance." Shining nodded. "This may be the only hope we have to return the throne to its rightful owner." Papyrus continued. "I can talk to Blue Arrow later today about this. I'm sure he'll agree to this. He's been itching to fight for a while now." "But…" Fluttershy interjected, "What if he doesn't? But if he does, what happens if something _really _bad happens? What if we lose? What then? What if Chrysalis _destroys_ our homes? What if she reduces Ponyville to ashes? Like what she did to Manehattan?" A brief silence followed her ominous questions. "We'll just have to take that chance, Fluttershy. For the greater good, we have to do this. We _must _return Luna to the throne. She is the rightful ruler of Equestria, not Chrysalis." Everypony murmured in agreement, nodding their heads. "Papyrus, shall we go speak to Blue Arrow?" He asked the Red Hoof soldier. "Of course, let's go!" The two quickly made their way to the door after saying goodbye to their friends to speak to the Red Hoof commander about the beginning of a Rebellion.

**A rebellion? Sounds interesting… Well, that about wraps it up for this week! And News Flash! I'm not sure how many of you have heard, but season three begins **_**next month**_** in November! Woo Hoo! **

**OC's – Copyrighted**

**Lightning Strike - Gunzi's Poochy (Previous chapter)**

**Blue 'Ace' Bass – Thunderhawk6894**

**Red Hooves – QTXAdsy**

**Please follow, favorite, and leave a comment! Even if it's a negative comment! I want to know what I can do to make this story better! Until next week, then!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi guys, I'm glad you're all here for chapter 15 of Rising Storm. Okay, here is my excuse for not posting a chapter last week: I was very busy last week/weekend, so I was unable to write enough for this chapter. I was busy this weekend too, but I was able to post a new chapter (fortunately). But with that out of the way, I give you permission to read chapter 15.**

**Chapter 15: Newfound Hope**

Blue Arrow snorted. "I can'tbloody _believe _you two would think I would go with this." Shining Armor and Papyrus had just arrived at the Red Hoof barracks in Ponyville, and were currently talking to Blue Arrow and Dynamo, who were seated at a table. The dark blue pegasus commander shook his head at Shining Armor and Papyrus. "A rebellion? You can't be serious." "All due respect sir," Papyrus argued, "But do you think the people here are content with their new ruler? Chrysalis wouldn't give half a flying feather if all of Equestria was turned to rubble by some freak natural disaster! The people think that all hope is lost. They all know that Luna still lives, but what good is that? She can't defeat Chrysalis on her own! She needs our help. She needs the _people's_ help." Blue Arrow looked down for a moment with a sigh before Papyrus continued. "And sir," Blue Arrow looked back up at the red pegasus. He was staring at Blue Arrow intently. "I know you don't want to live under this tyrant. Remember what you told me in all those war stories about *Farchan? You said that you did what you thought was right. You told me to believe my heart, not my head, and to do the right thing." Blue Arrow looked down guiltily. "And what makes you think this is the _right thing_ to do, Papyrus?" Dynamo asked, filling in for his commander. "If we don't make a stand, then who will? Who will stand up against this tyrant who we all despise? The Red Hooves have always been a beacon of leadership and honor for everypony. If we start a rebellion, the people will be sure to follow." Dynamo nodded his head, impressed by Papyrus's speech. "Blue Arrow, sir?" Dynamo asked looking at his commander, who was still looking down and a small smile could be seen on his face. Blue Arrow chuckled. "Your heart is in the right place, lad." He complimented, looking up. "You know I hate that bloody Chrysalis as much as anypony. The throne is not hers anyway. The throne has always belonged to the Solar Dynasty, since the beginning of Equestria. Luna is our rightful ruler, and I would more than happily die bearing the Solar Sister's flag in my hooves." Shining spoke up. "Then it seems we have the beginnings of a rebellion on our hooves." Blue Arrow chuckled again. Aye lad, so it seems."

**-Ponyville, One Week Later-**

Mechapony pounded his hammer onto the searing steel blade of a sword, placed on an anvil. Mechapony, with Fluttershy's reluctant permission, had made a small forge a short walk from their cottage, along the river.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he dipped the sword's blade into a nearby bucket of water with a hiss of steam. As he pulled it out with his magic, to reduce the possibility of hoof burns, he gave a small smile and swung the blade a few times. As he placed the cooling blade on the anvil, his marefriend, Fluttershy, stepped into the warm forge room. "How are you, Mechapony?" She asked sweetly, nuzzling his shoulder. He returned the action and replied, "Just finishing up." He motioned over to the cooled steel blade that he had just finished forging. "Well that's good." She reluctantly added, "Oh, and Shining Armor said that he wanted every able-bodied stallion to meet him outside the Red Hoof barracks." Mechapony nodded, "Well, then, better go see what he wants." The grey unicorn reached out with his magic and levitated his new sword into a sheath across his back. He stepped toward the doorway of the forge and turned to Fluttershy. "I'll be back in about an hour."

20 minutes later, Mechapony had arrived at the Red Hoof barracks on the other side of the town he had become frequent with. He stood in a large group of other stallions, outside of the barracks. He stood next to a large, red earth pony, and had begun an idle conversation with him. "Ah wonder what that Shinin' Armer feller wants?"

"I bet jou that were getting to go to war. All of Equestria has been uneasy with our new ruler." The red stallion nodded in agreement. He looked off in the distance. "Looks like them Red Hoof fellers are here. Probably gonna hafta' sit through some rally speech."

The Red Hoof commander, an aged blue pegasus, flanked by, Papyrus and Dynamo, stepped up on a podium that had been placed in front of the barracks, shortly before the meeting was called. He cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the stallions in front of him.

"Good afternoon. Thank you, all of you, for taking the time to come. I'm sure you all know why you're here. I know you all are as upset with the usurping of the Equestrian throne as we are. In exactly one week, we are pushing forward to strike a blow in the name of the Equestrian Rebellion. If you will help us, if you will take up arms for your nation and fight, please step forward."

All of the stallions stepped forward, and Blue Arrow continued, "Thank you, all of you. We will move out in seven days to attack Dodge Junction, which has become a major agriculture center for the rest of the Changeling Empire. If we take Dodge, we can bring the Empire to its knees." Murmuring broke out among the crowd as Blue Arrow revealed his plan. Then, the murmurs turned into shouts and cries of war.

"FOR PONYVILLE!"

"FOR CELESTIA!"

"FOR EQUESTRIA!"

As the cries rose to the skies, a darker meeting was taking place in the towers of Canterlot.

Chrysalis tapped her hooves together unemotionally. One of her minions had come with unsettling but expected news. "Your majesty, I come with urgent news." A white pegasus with a green mane said, bowing before the changeling queen. "The civilians of the town of Ponyville have begun an uprising, with the intent to restore Luna to the throne." The pegasus looked up as Chrysalis began to cackle. "This rebellion will be swatted away like a fly, as will any who oppose us! Luna is nowhere near as powerful as my predecessor, Celestia. I entombed her sister in stone, and she erodes away in her stony tomb! The Changeling Empire will last for eons to come! You worry too much, Green Feathers. The defeat of this rebellion will show everypony that resistance of the Empire is futile! We shall crush them in the heel of our hooves.

**Like I said, things are picking up.**

**OC's – Copyrighted**

**Mechapony – mechapony**

**Green Feathers – Greenfeather of Moonclan**

**Red Hooves – QTXAdsy**

**Have a nice week, guys! /) **

***Farchan - Farchan is copyrighted and owned by QTXAdsy **


	16. Chapter 16

**Finally! An update! Huzzah! Season 3 has started! Yay! Chapter 16! The yay has been doubled!**

**Chapter 16: Mind Games**

A cool breeze swept through the capitol city of Canterlot. Chrysalis sat upon her throne of black, fragmented crystals. Her eyes were staring off into deep space as she thought deeply, confronting an old enemy.

"_I would have hoped that entombing your physical body would also contain your mind. It would seem I was wrong."_

"_Chrysalis, I will ask you once, and once only. Return my kingdom to its rightful rulers, and I assure you, you and your Changelings can live in peace and freedom."_

"_Freedom? Freedom from what? Freedom from being marked as freaks of nature? From being called monsters? Abominations? It is your fault my people are like this!"_

"_Chrysalis, the plague on the First Empire occurred over a thousand years ago. Shall we not let bygones be bygones?"_

"_You expect me to forgive you for letting my people become infected by that plague? You created the curing spell only days after we were transformed into this horrid state, and it only affected those that were experiencing the first symptoms! You and your sister let us become infected! You and Luna were always jealous of our people's superiority!"_

"_My sister and I felt no jealousy towards you or your people, Chrysa-"_

"_Then explain to me why your sister betrayed and attempted to overthrow you?"_

"_My sister was jealous of how everypony looked up to me and appreciated me, but shunned her, and her night. That is the one and only reason she took that action. But she has redeemed herself of past faults, and you can too, Chrysalis. Just give the kingdom back to Luna. I assure you, she will make sure you and your people will be protected."_

"_Do not preach to me about redemption, Celestia. Equestria will undergo its own redemption, and all shall bow before their queen!"_

"_You are maddened with power, Chrysalis. Making them bow to your every whim will not satisfy you."_

Chrysalis rose from her throne and made her way to the Canterlot Library, where Twilight was working tirelessly to meet her queen's demands. She kept her gaze locked on the furiously working with her magic, levitating several books in the air, having been removed from dozens of shelves.

"_Look at how your pupil has been broken before me. If the one who looked up to you and never failed you is mine, who is going to stop me?_

"_The Descendants."_

Chrysalis nearly broke out in riotous laughter.

"_The Descendants? Hahahaha! What do you think I am Celestia? A little filly, which needs the assurance that a group of prophesied heroes will solve all their problems?"_

She began to walk back toward her throne.

"_The Descendants are here, Chrysalis, and the shall be your undoing."_

"_But, what, I wonder, would happen if one of your precious Descendants, never became a Descendant in the first place?" _

"_If you so much as lay a hoof on them, I'll-" _

"_What will you do? Your body remains encased in stone. You are powerless to do anything to stop me!"_

"_Am I?"_

Chrysalis heard a groaning noise behind her.

"Oh… What happened? My head hurts."

Chrysalis snapped her head around in shock. "What? Impossible!"

The magenta unicorn shook her head for a moment and then stared at the Changeling Queen. "What? C-Chrysalis!"

Twilight and Chrysalis quickly charged their horns, Twilight's now enveloped in purple hue. Chrysalis charged at the unicorn, firing bursts of green magic down the hall.

Twilight dodged several bursts of magic, and thought about anywhere but Canterlot. She was about to leave when a burst of magic grazed her shoulder. She cried out in pain, disappearing in a flash. Her cry hung eerily in the air as she teleported away.

Chrysalis glared at nothing in particular, thinking.

"_Well played Celestia, well played."_

She walked toward a group of a dozen Changeling Soldiers clad in black, jagged armor, awaiting her command. She faced one with a dark green stripe running down the front of the helmet. "Bring me the young unicorn Starlight! I want him alive! Kill anyone who gets in your way." She barked. The soldiers took off, headed by the Changeling captain, flying towards Ponyville.

Twilight trod slowly through the seemingly endless desert. She kept one hoof placed on her singed left shoulder. Her vision was blurred by pain, and she could barely make out an orchard of trees in the distance.

"_Just a little further, Twilight, you can make it."_

As she approached the orchard, the sun had begun to rise, bringing new hope to twilight. "_Luna… She's okay. Thank Celestia." _

She stumbled slightly as she approached the outskirts of the orchard. She panted heavily as she collapsed on her knees, losing almost all conscience.

"_Safe… at last… Some - somepony should find me soon…"_

She fell over, unconscious.

**Hey guys, sorry for the late update. Computer issues. Until next week, then.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: A Spark to Start the Fire**

Shining Armor stood next to the Red Hoof commander, Blue Arrow, and Luna, disguised as Starshine, all three of them in armor. They were looking at the Equestrian Armed Forces airship that they would be using to attack Dodge Junction. There were at least seven dozen soldiers, many of them Red Hooves.

He turned to Blue Arrow. "Are they all ready, Commander?" The aged Commander gave a nod. "Aye, they are, lad. Sharp swords and strong hearts at the ready." "Good. It's time we fought back."

**-Dodge Junction-**

Papyrus, leading a group of Red Hooves, kept close to a wall cast in shade as a small patrol of Changelings went by. As they passed, Papyrus gave a nod to another group of soldiers. They quickly and silently filled out into the street, drawing the bows out from across their backs. This caught the attention of the nearby residents, some of them giving short gasps. Papyrus gave a silent order for his ponies to fire. The Changelings were all shot down, causing some of the witnesses to give a shout of victory. Papyrus quickly lead his soldiers back into the dark alleys, before they were spotted.

Papyrus caught sight of a bar across the street. After telling his men to stay in the shadows and giving them his bow. One of his men asked, "Where are you going, Sir?"

Papyrus gave a quick smirk, "To get a drink." He made his way across the street towards the bar. A swinging sign deemed the building _"The Salt Lick Bar"_.

Papyrus stepped inside, to be greeted by the small of salt and the sound of a piano being played. There were several tough-looking ponies giving him suspicious looks, and Papyrus gave a brief glance to his side to make sure he had his dagger, just in case things got ugly.

As Papyrus stepped up to the bar, a brown, blue-manned female Pegasus bartender, wearing an apron and cleaning a glass with a rag simply asked, "What'll it be?" Papyrus leaned forward, keeping his forearm on the counter, and his other ready to quickly grab his knife. "I'm looking for a certain pony. Her name's Sky Bubble. You heard of her?" He asked, keeping his voice low. The bartender stopped washing the glass for a moment, as if in surprise. A brief moment later she inspected the glass, placing it on a rack behind her. "Never heard of her."

Papyrus tossed a small bag of bits on the counter, drawing the mare's attention. She turned her head slightly to see the money he had just put on the counter. Keeping her back to Papyrus and grabbing another glass to clean, she simply stated, "The _Salt Lick's_ going to close in a few hours. Come back then."

Papyrus gave a smirk, knowing he had won. "Thank you, ma'am." He then left the counter, and made his way to the door.

The bartender mare kept an eye on him as the Red Hoof left, catching sight of his Cutie Mark. After he left, she picked up the small bag of bits Papyrus had placed on the table and put them in her apron pocket.

**-3 Hours later, outside the **_**Salt Lick Bar**_**-**

Papyrus had given his men permission to return to their base of operations, the airship, which had been landed a few miles from dodge Junction, with orders to explain the situation to Blue Arrow, Dynamo, Shining Armor, and Luna. He looked up into the sky to see the glorious sunset. He heard a creaking noise off to his left as the doors to the _Salt Lick Bar_ swung open, several stallions pouring out. Some of them carried intoxicated friends across their backs, with other ponies stumbling out behind the crowd. After they were gone, the bartender stuck her head out. "There are still a few drinks, if you want one." She said, motioning towards the bar. As Papyrus walked forward, she stepped back into the bar. When he stepped in, he noticed that all the stools had been placed upside-down on the tables, save for two, which Papyrus assumed that the bartender mare had left out for them to sit at.

She walked up to the counter and picked up a plate that had some drinks, holding one in each hoof. She used her wings so that she didn't fall over, and set them down on the table that Papyrus had sat down at, not too far from the door, with his back to the exit. She placed one down in front of Papyrus, and the other in front of where she would be sitting. She sat down on the stool she had left out for herself. She picked up her mug and chugged about half of it, while Papyrus just stared at his mug. When the mare put hers back down on the table, she snorted. "Never drank before?" Papyrus retorted, "I have. It's just that I promised to my wife that I wouldn't drink anymore."

"Whatever, Brownie." She jeered, making fun of his brown mane.

"My name is Papyrus." He responded, glaring at her.

"Well, if you didn't come here to drink, you're probably here for some other reason."

"I'm looking for a mare named Sky Bubble. Supposedly she lives around here, so I figured this would be the best place to look."

"It's seems you come to the right place Paguyrus-"

"Papyrus." He quickly corrected.

"Whatever. So anyway, why do you need to know about this Sky Bubble pony?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out."

The mare gave a laugh before looking at Papyrus's still-full mug.

"Tell you what, Paps, you drink that whole thing, and I'll tell you want to know."

Papyrus frowned, thinking through all the other ideas.

"_I could just beat it out of her. That might work. Nah, to violent. I could… Nah, that wouldn't work either…"_

After contemplating all the other options, he knew he had no other alternative. He would have to accept her challenge.

"You're on."

Papyrus swiped the mug up and chugged the whole thing in under half a minute. He slammed it back down, and finished with a loud, rude belch.

The mare gave a laugh as he burped, taking another swig of her drink and belching a few seconds later.

This made both of them laugh heartily for a few moments.

"Heehee… You know, Paps, I like you!"

Papyrus nodded, still chuckling a bit.

"Okay, okay, back to business. Tell me about Sky Bubble."

"Way to kill the mood, Paps. But I'm a mare of my word. Sky Bubble will be here tomorrow, around noon-ish. She usually sits over there for lunch." She said, pointing across the room towards a booth."

"Alright, ma'am, thank you. Here's the money for the drink."

Papyrus was about to place a few bits on the table before the bartender mare stopped him.

"I think you already paid, Paps."

"Oh, right. Um, see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, Paps."

**-EAF Airship **_**Stryker**_**-**

"And she said Sky Bubble would be there tomorrow around noon." Papyrus said, standing at attention, having just finished reporting to Luna, Blue Arrow, and Shining Armor.

Shining Armor tried to keep a straight face during the report, but he couldn't take it anymore. He broke out in laughter, Blue Arrow joining in a few seconds later. Even Luna gave a small chuckle.

Papyrus looked at them in confusion, not understanding what was so funny.

"Sirs?"

"Oh, lad! Sky Bubble! She works-" The commander started laughing again.

Luna, having only given the smallest of laughs and remaining stone-faced, explained to the confused Papyrus.

"Young Papyrus, Sky Bubble is the bartender at the _Salt Lick Bar_."

Papyrus's eyes widened in shock. "Sky Bubble? She's the? What?!" He shouted, facehoofing.

Shining Armor collected himself, but only for a moment. "Looks like somepony got pranked!" He started laughing again, Papyrus joining in shortly after, laughing about his own foolishness.

**Papyrus got trolled. Big time.**

**OC's – Copyrighted**

**Red Hooves - QTXAdsy **

**Sky Bubble – Mudmask**

**Okay, guys, thank you for reading, please read, subscribe (you know you want to) and comment! Same time next week! (Hopefully)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Inside Intel**

Papyrus impatiently tapped his hoof on the table he was supposed to meet his asset, Sky Bubble. Papyrus looked around the crowded bar, with his back to the door, his eyes fixed on where he could see the bar, and the bartender. He glanced at his wristwatch.

"_11:57 a.m. She should be getting here any minute…"_

According to EAF Intel, Sky Bubble was a resident of Dodge Junction, and helped feed information to the Equestrian Armed Forces during the beginning of the Equestria-Changeling War. But, as the Red Hoof had found out the previous night, Sky bubble not only lived in Dodge Junction, but worked at the _Salt Lick Bar_, and he had talked with her and had not even considered the fact that she may have been their asset.

"_You're such an idiot, Papyrus!"_ He kept telling himself, over and over again, until he was interrupted by the brown Pegasus bartender sitting down at the table he was at, across from him.

"I see your back." She greeted sweetly, "But I suppose you're not here for another drink, Paps."

"And I suppose you're not just some mild-mannered mare." Papyrus sarcastically replied.

She laughed. "Alright, Paps, ya' got me." She stuck her hoof out across the table.

"Name's Sky Bubble."

Papyrus looked at her hoof for a moment, surprised she was so willing to trust him, having never seen each other in their lives. A second later, he also stuck out his hoof.

"Papyrus." He replied, the two shaking hooves.

She rolled her eyes. "Like I didn't already know that. But, all formalities out of the way, Paps, what can I do to help ya'?"

"Uh, right. Help." Papyrus tapped his chin for a moment. "Okay, do the Changelings have complete control of Dodge?"

She rolled her eyes again, before sarcastically replying. "No, just the bakeries. Of course they've got the whole place under control!"

"Well, sorry." Papyrus sputtered.

"How did you even get in here?"

"We landed our ship about a mile away from Dodge, and the rebellion leaders are there-"

"Wait." She asked in a hushed tone. "Princess Luna is here?"

Apparently news of the Rebellion had spread faster than Papyrus had thought.

"Well yeah, her, and-" He was cut short again by Sky Bubble.

"She can fix everything! If the Changelings don't know you're here, then we can free the city!"

"That's what we're here to do, Sky Bubble. But we need your help. You've been here spying on the Changelings since the formation of the Changeling Empire, right?"

"Papyrus."

"What?"

She had her eyes locked on the bar doors, which had just opened, revealing several armored Changelings. Papyrus cast a casual glance at the door.

"_Buck."_

"Okay, Sky Bubble, here's what I need you to do." He began to explain, in a quiet, hurried tone. "After the _Salt Lick_ closes today, I need you to meet me at the large mesa about a quarter of a mile from the town. From there, I can take you to Luna and the others, okay?"

Sky Bubble quickly nodded her head.

"Good. Now to make my exit." He said, pulling out a small knife from his pocket.

"Try not to make too much of a mess, will ya'?"

As Papyrus slid out of the booth, making his way to the door, the Changeling Soldiers made their way towards him. He tried to nonchalantly walk past them, one of them intentionally bumped into him.

"Watch where you're going, _worm_." He hissed, causing the other soldiers to mockingly laugh.

Papyrus ignored him, and continued to the door. As he cast back on last glance at the soldier who bumped into him, he saw that sky Bubble had returned to her post as bartender, and the Changelings were ordering drinks, free of charge. Glaring at the Changeling who bumped into him, he thought:

"_You're the first one on my 'Changelings-I'm-gonna-kill' list', buddy._

**-Dodge Junction Outskirts, 5 hours later-**

Papyrus paced back and forth at the spot where Sky Bubble was supposed to meet him after the _Salt lick _closed.

"_Where is she?" _Papyrus pondered. "_I hope those Changelings didn't hurt her."_

He caught sight of a shape on the horizon.

"_Good, there she is."_ He gave a sigh of relief.

Sky Bubble quickly trotted to where the red Pegasus stood. She was carrying a saddlebag with a few scrolls inside of it. The button on the saddlebag had a symbol that matched her cutie mark.

As she came up to him, she began to apologize profusely.

"I'm sorry I was late, Paps. I just need to grab a few things from my place." She motioned to the scrolls in her bag.

"I'm just glad you're here to help us."

Sky Bubble looked around. "So, uh, where's your airship-base-of-operations thing?" She asked, looking past Papyrus.

"It's this way. Follow me." He said quickly before arching his wings and taking flight.

"Hey! Wait up!" She cried, before stretching her own wings, and flying speedily to catch up with the Red Hoof.

Papyrus looked back behind him to make sure that Sky Bubble was still behind him. When he saw her catching up, he started flying a little faster, just enough to keep ahead of her.

Sky Bubble caught on to Papyrus's idea. _"So it's a race he wants, huh? Let's see what ya' got, Paps!" _She increased her altitude slightly so that she was out of his view.

Papyrus threw another glance behind him. He smirked, expecting to see the bartender mare far behind him. But when he saw nothing but empty, evening skies.

"What? Where is she?" He asked out loud in bewilderment.

He felt something tap the top of his head. He looked up to see Sky Bubble flying a few inches above him.

"A little closer that you might think, Paps." Sky Bubble said with an amused look in her eyes. She executed a barrel roll, and straightened out beside Papyrus, who had an impressed look clear on his face.

"You'd make one heck of a Wonder Bolt, Sky!" He complimented. Sky Bubble blushed slightly. She looked down.

"Is that it?" She asked pointing to something with her hoof. Papyrus looked to where she was pointing. Down below, he spotted the EAF airship that was being used by the Rebellion.

"That's it all right. The _Stryker_." He said with an affirmative nod. "One of the finest ships in the EAF fleet. Did you know that she-"

Sky Bubble cut him off for the third time that day. "I came to help fight a war, not get a lecture, Paps."

"Right, let's get down there. There are some ponies I want you to meet." Papyrus said before tilting downwards, heading towards the large airship.

"…This is the Red Hoof Commander, Blue Arrow. That's Shining Armor, the captain of the Royal Guard, and Princess Luna, leader of the Rebellion." Papyrus said, motioning to each of the commanding officers of the Rebellion in turn.

Sky Bubble gave Blue Arrow and Shining Armor a respectful nod, and bowed before Luna. "Your- your majesty, it's such- such an honor." Her voice trembled with excitement. She had always wanted to meet one of the Solar Sisters, she didn't care which one. And here she was, finally meeting one of the Sisters.

"Rise, Sky Bubble. What have you to report?"

Sky Bubble straightened back up. She grabbed one of her many scrolls from her bag. She rolled out across a nearby table, revealing in to be an aerial view of Dodge Junction. She pointed to an 'X' mark on the map she had laid out.

"From what I've been able to figure out, this is where the Changelings in Dodge are operating from."

Blue Arrow gave the map a hard stare. "Isn't that where the Red Hoof barracks are, lass?"

She nodded to the commander. "And they couldn't have picked a better place to be a pain in the flank, too. Those walls are made of reinforced concrete, and there are guards on patrol 24/7, and it's protected by at least a few hundred soldiers. It's basically a fortress.

"My sister was concerned that Dodge Junction, it being on the outskirts of Equestria, would have been a prime target for opposing enemy forces." Luna said, slightly regretting the choice that her sister had made. _"Perhaps worried for my return as Nightmare Moon, as well. I'm glad things ended differently, my sister."_

"What other places might the Changelings be using to their advantage, Sky Bubble?" Shining Armor questioned, an idea forming in his mind.

Sky Bubble pondered the question for a moment, rubbing her chin. She then pointed to another location on the map, about four blocks away from the barracks.

"Probably here. It's a multi-story building that they've been using as a supply depot to store their equipment."

"Like what?" Shining asked.

"Weapons, armor, supplies, and such." She answered simply.

Shining began to nod his head, a small smile on his face. Blue Arrow gave him a curious stare.

"I know that look. What have ye got in mind, lad?"

"My idea is that if we can attack here," He said, placing a hoof on the Changeling's supply depot, "That should draw enough soldiers away from the Red Hoof barracks, so that some of us can sneak in and take it over. After that, we clean up the rest of the Changelings."

"I like how you think lad, but from what Sky Bubble has told us, we are seriously outmanned. We only have about a hundred men to fight with. If we can't take their depot with the men we have, how can we expect to take a bloody _fortress_?"

"I might be able to help with that." Luna answered. "Tomorrow night is the full moon, and the stars are mine to control."

"We won't be able to see a bloody thing in that darkness!" Blue Arrow argued.

"I bet that depot would make a pretty bright torch." Papyrus suggested.

Blue Arrow had to admit that Papyrus's and Luna's idea wasn't half bad. This could work. _"It could. Or we might all die in the process."_

"So Blue Arrow, what do you think?" Shining Armor ventured, looking at the Red Hoof Commander.

"Let's go for it."

**-Meanwhile, in Ponyville-**

A lone Red Hoof soldier, stationed on guard duty, stood outside of the Ponyville barracks. He caught a glimpse of a group of black figures flying away something that looked like a small filly. Hearing desperate cries for help he realized what was happening. _"Foalnappers!"_

He shouted into the barracks "Tell Captain Dynamo that a filly is being stolen! Everypony else, follow me!"

He, along with a dozen other Red Hooves, sped towards the Changelings with incredible speed. As they neared their targets, some of them broke off from the main group of about a dozen Changelings. The lead Red Hoof soldier unsheathed his blade and slashed at one of the Changeling's wings, severing it and sending it tumbling to the ground.He turned around to see the other Changeling soldier speeding at him.

The Red Hoof raised his sword as the Changeling unsheathed his own black, jagged sword. The two began to clash in a furious aerial battle. The Red Hoof eventually overpowered the Changeling, and stabbed it through its chest, green blood spraying out of the wound. He flew after the remaining Changelings, the small grey filly still crying for help.

As his comrades gathered behind him, he began to give orders. He pointed to two of the soldier flying near him.

"You two! Flank them from the sides! Don't let any of those Changeling get away!"

Both of the Hooves he had ordered gave a quick salute, and sped away to complete their orders.

"The rest of you, on me!" He barked, and flew towards the escaping Changelings.

As they neared the fleeing enemies, all of the Changelings - save the leader and the two Changelings that were carrying the gray unicorn filly - broke off from the main group and began to attack their unwanted guests.

When the Red Hoof saw this opening, he sped towards one of the Changelings carrying the filly. As he collided with the Changeling, he had second thoughts about his idea. The impact had knocked loose the Changeling's hold on the filly, and the sudden shift in weight had caused the other Changeling to drop their cargo.

The unicorn plummeted towards the ground, screaming in pure terror.

**Oh no! What will happen to poor Starlight? I'm sure he'll be fine. Because the hero never dies, right? Or at least, I think that's how it works….**


	19. Chapter 19

**Well guys, a month of waiting and planning hopefully will finally pay off! Please enjoy! Oh, and make sure to review, subscribe, blah, blah, blah.**

**Chapter 19 – Lights Out, Part 1**

Time seemed to slowly tick by as Starlight plummeted towards his doom. The ground got closer as Starlight's mind raced at a blazing speed.

"I… I never even got to tell mom or dad good-bye. Or Aunt Twilight." He thought sadly, as he fell. But what young Starlight did not know, was that something truly amazing was about to happen, something that would change Equestria forever.

An ancient artifact, similar to a gold crown, topped with a purple star-shaped gem, stored in a cabinet next to Twilight's bed in her Library, began to pulsate slowly, but quickly increased in frequency. The artifact began to radiate a bright purple light as the flashing became a steady, blinding light. A tendril of magical energy threw open the door of the cabinet. The artifact began to float in the air, seemingly under its own power. Small bits of purple light began to condense around the gem, as a whining noise began to build up. When the gem in the artifact was filled by a purple light, a beam of energy shot through one of the upper room's windows, out into the darkening night.

Starlight began to close his eyes as the ground grew ever closer. Just as he was about to give up, he saw a purple beam of light was bearing down on him. His eyes opened wide as it impacted his body in a bright purple light, surrounding him in a sphere of purified energy.

The energy felt warm, like the rays of sunshine on a nice spring day. It warmed him all the way to his core. It filled him with a new hope, and he heard a somewhat familiar voice.

"Hello, young Starlight."

"Princess Celestia? Is that you?"

"That it is, young one. Do not give up hope just yet. Your time is not yet come. There are many great things for you. This is one of those many things, Starlight. You are going to become the sole owner of the Element of Magic."

"ME? I… I'm just a filly! And Twilight is the owner of the Element of Magic!"

"She is. But because she is not an alicorn like myself or my sister, the Element must be passed on from generation to generation. I was the predecessor to the Element's ownership, Twilight is the current owner, and you are the heir to that honorary title.

"But Twilight was captured by Chrysalis! We can't hope to defeat Chrysalis without her!"

A small chuckle emanated from the energy surrounding him.

"Twilight is perfectly safe, little one. The two of you shall soon be reunited, and Chrysalis's anarchy will cease. Would you like to see Twilight now?"

"Yes, please!"

A small, amused laugh greeted him.

"I was sure you would, Starlight. Twilight will be very pleased to see you."

Starlight began to spin around and around inside the sphere of energy the Element of Magic had created. In an instant, his body and the energy bubble disappeared in a flash.

Meanwhile, in skies above what had just transpired, The Red Hooves were in fierce combat with the Changeling strike force that had abducted Starlight. The Red Hoof soldier that had accidentally knocked the two Changeling soldiers out of control had begun to dive for the unicorn filly, but he stopped mid-air as the unicorn disappeared in a bright purple flash.  
"Huh, what? Where'd that filly go?"

**-Meanwhile, at the Appleoosa Hospital-**

"So, where did you say you found her?" A tan unicorn stallion wearing a lab coat, and levitating a checklist and pen in the air, examined a magenta unicorn, laying on a hospital bed.

"Like I told ya' Doc, I found 'er out by the apple orchards, out like a rock." A light yellow earth pony answered looking worriedly at the unconscious unicorn.

"I see, thank you for bringing her straight here, Mr. Braeburn.

"Yar' plenty welcome, Doc." He said, tipping his cowboy hat to the doctor. "So, what's wrong with her?"

"She seems to be suffering from heat exhaustion; she must've been walking through that desert for hours. She's got a nice-sized first-degree burn on her shoulder, which should take about a week to heal up, and magic energy strain. Celestia knows how long she was using her magic. I've heard many-a-tale about her magical potential. She was even put in charge of the entertainment when the Saddle Arabia delegate were here a few years back! But, I digress. She will be fit to return home very soon, Mr. Braeburn."

"Well thar's a load off ma' shoulders. I know my cousin wouldn't be happy if one of 'er best friends were hurt!"

Suddenly, a bright flash appeared before the two stallions. The both covered their eyes with a hoof, and there was a thudding noise followed by a grunt.

"What in tarnation?" Braeburn shouted, rubbing his eyes, still blinded by the flash.

Crashing with a grunt, Starlight woozily tried to get up. He heard someone shout something. He tried to look around, but his vision was blurred. He caught sight of what appeared to be a pair of stallions, one light yellow, and seemingly wearing a brown vest and matching cowboy hat. The other was wearing a white lab coat. His vision soon started to clear, and he thought he had heard a groaning noise below him. In surprise, he looked down and saw what he had landed on: Twilight. _"Jeez, Celestia wasn't kidding when she said that we would soon be reunited."_

"Oh… my head, what happened?" Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes. She saw a pair of dark magenta eyes staring back at her.

"Twi- Twilight?" Starlight stuttered.

"Starlight? Is that you?" Twilight asked, confused by how her nephew had arrived here.

Starlight happily collapsed on his aunt, relieved that she was alright. The two relatives embraced each other in a very happy hug. Meanwhile, Braeburn and the doctor stood by, confusedly watching the spectacle before them, trying to make sense of where the grey filly had come from.

"Erm, Miss Sparkle?" The doctor asked.

Twilight looked over her nephew's head to see a confused unicorn and Applejack's cousin, Braeburn.

Starlight jumped off the hospital bed and onto the ground so she could talk with the doctor. "Uh… Yes?" Twilight apprehensively asked, her magenta eyes darting around the small, single windowed, blank-walled room, with a bedside table next to her bed with a lamp on top of it and a few books on a lower shelf. Twilight looked curiously, wondering as to how she had arrived here. She assumed that since Braeburn was here, she was in Appleoosa, or as Braeburn so loved to put it: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPLEOOSA".

"Good, no signs of amnesia yet…" The doctor muttered to himself, checking off a few boxes on his checklist.

"I'm sorry? Ah!" Twilight cried as she tried to prop herself up on her injured arm. The doctor quickly rushed to her side, laying her gently back down and quickly examining her arm for any signs of additional injuries that she may have caused to herself.

"Careful, careful." The Doctor warned firmly. "You've got a first degree burn on your shoulder. It isn't too severe, but it will likely be sore and tender for the next few days."

Twilight turned her head to see where the doctor was examining to see a burn mark, about three centimeters in diameter, where her normally purple coat had been turned a singed, black color.

"When your friend Braeburn brought you here," the doctor began to explain, "You had that burn, you were suffering from heat exhaustion, and your magic seemed to have been put on some very serious strain." As the burning sting in Twilight's shoulder went down, the doctor continued, "Where you trying a high-level spell, out in the desert, and put enough strain on yourself as to knock you unconscious?"

Twilight shook her head. "A high level spell? Yes. Out in a desert? No." She said, attempting to answer the doctor's question. "How soon may I leave?" She asked, fully aware of how extremely important it was for her to speak with Princess Luna. "In a few days, at the least. But after you are released, you still must take it easy. But now, you need your rest."

"Of course. Thank you, Doctor."

The Doctor exited the small hospital room, Braeburn following him. Twilight looked outside the room's window at the setting sun, a grim look on her face.

Starlight looked at his aunt's grim expression, and became worried. There was a difference between her 'If-I-fail-this-test-Celestia-would-never-forgive-me' look, and her 'something-is-wrong' look. Starlight could tell it was the latter of the two, causing him ask what was wrong.

"Aunt Twilight? Is everything okay?"

"No. I need to speak with Princess Luna, _now_." She said gravely.

Starlight shook his head. "No, the doctor said you need your sleep. The sooner you get better, the sooner you can leave, and the sooner you can talk to Princess Luna!"

Grudgingly agreeing with her nephew's logic, Twilight settled down, careful to not irritate her shoulder.. "You're right. Good night, Starlight. I love you."

"Love you too, Aunt Twilight."

In a few moments, his aunt had fallen asleep, and Starlight was sitting in a chair, reading through a _Daring Doo_ book. After living in a Library-slash-treehouse for such a long time, you begin to become a bit of a bookworm. _"Or maybe it's a gene." _Starlight had said to himself a few times before. As the room darkened because of the lack of light, due to it being a new moon, Starlight considered turning the lamp on so that he could continue reading. He dismissed the thought, knowing that Twilight needed her rest. He had wanted to ask what was so urgent to talk to Luna about, but it wouldn't have done much good. Luna was the one that needs to know, not me. He kept telling himself as the thought persistently continued reappearing in his mind. _"It's probably time I got some sleep anyway." _He said with a large yawn. He pushed the book aside and curled up in the chair as comfortably as he could manage. The last thing he saw was the black night outside. No moon. No stars. Just a dark, black night.

**-EAF Airship **_**Stryker**_**-**

After Luna, Princess of the beautiful night, and heir to the Equestrian throne, had shrouded the stars by black clouds, turned to address the ponies that had been chosen for the mission, having become known as _Operation: Torch_, to free Dodge Junction from the oppressive grip of the New Changeling Empire. Amongst the crowd of assembled soldiers were dozens of highly-trained Red Hooves and several members of Luna's own personal guard. Luna's guardsponies had been blessed with NightSight, giving them cat-like blue irises, allowing them to see even in the darkest of nights, just like this one. As Luna began her speech, all eyes were trained on her.

"I am sure you all know why you are here. Many of you have chosen to be here, and you are given the greatest of thanks. You will all be remembered in this turning point in Equestrian history. Our enemy has made the fatal choice of overthrowing the Solar Empire and imprisoning the Princess of the Sun, my sister, Princess Celestia. If we do not stop these Changelings and their queen, we will lose everything. Our homes. Our friends. Our families. Everything we hold dear will be lost if they are not stopped. We are the only ones who stand between Chrysalis and complete victory. And as long as we stand. Together. As one. We cannot be stopped! Now let us free our great nation! FOR EQUESTRIA!"

With the end of Luna's speech a fierce war cry echoed throughout the cold, black night. The Pegasus ponies all took to the skies, led by Blue Arrow. He may be have been old, but he was as willing as anypony else to fight for the nation that he so loved, and he would willingly die to protect it. Shining Armor led the ground troops, comprising of earth ponies and unicorns, a certain German stallion among them, much to Fluttershy's disapproval. _"Just vink how happy she'll be when you come back safe and vound, Mechapony!"_

**-Dodge Junction airspace-**

Papyrus flew among at least three dozen other Pegasi, most of them Red Hooves, the other few being a group of Luna's guards, all of them equipped with a bow, a quiver for their arrows, a sword, and a dagger. The squadron leader, Darkwing, one of Luna's guards, dove down towards their target. Papyrus and the other soldiers followed suit, and the storage depot came into view. Darkwing, papyrus, and the other pegasi stealthily landed behind the Storage Depot, close to a back door. With their backs to the wall, Darkwing peered around the corner of the threshold.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Darkwing motioned for the others to follow him. They snuck in silently and hid behind a group of large crates. "Open it." Darkwing ordered.

Using their swords and daggers in a similar manner to crowbars, the soldiers pried off the top of one of the crates. Inside the crate was a large amount of blackish-grey powder. Darkwing ran his hoof through the strange material, a confused expression on his face. "What is the stuff?"

The reply came from one of the Red Hooves. "Sir, if it's what I think it is," He said, stepping up to hold a small amount of the stuff in his hoof. He threw it forcefully on to the ground, causing a quiet popping noise and a small cloud of smoke. "This stuff is used in fireworks. It's what makes it fly upwards and explode. But when it was first discovered, the original three pony tribes too used them for entertainment, but, generations later it was also used for war purposes, and this undoubtedly what the Changelings intend to use it for, Sir." The Red Hoof deduced.

"So this is where we burn the place down."

"That would be an understatement, Sir."

"What do you mean?"

"There's likely enough here to demolish this building, _and_ this entire block."

"We have no other choice, soldier."

"Yes, sir."

Papyrus finished pouring out a small trail of the explosive powder in front of him in a line, to be used like a fuse. After he was about a dozen feet from the storage crates, of which all contained the grey-and-black dust. After holding a torch top the end of the fuse and igniting it, Papyrus fled the building to join up with the other Pegasi. Seconds after joining the other soldiers, the depot erupted in a blinding orange light, leveling the entire block. A few seconds later, a siren went off, warning all the Changelings in the town of the imminent attack. Even from that distance, the pegasi soldiers could see the ground forces marching towards the Red Hoof stronghold, illuminated by the burning buildings.

"Now, let's free Dodge Junction!" He said, rallying his fellow soldiers, diving down towards their allies, readying themselves for the challenge ahead of them. For all of those who would fight for what was rightfully theirs.

**And so the battle for Dodge Junction begins. The first step on the long path of war, and it will be a long and winding path, filled with uncertainties.**

**OC's - Copyrighted**

**Mechapony - Mechaponey**


	20. Chapter 20

**A New Beginning**

Hey guys. I know you all have been waiting for a new chapter in my story. I'm sure this is going to be an enormous letdown, but I am ending Rising Storm. I do have my reasons for ending this story. I had been having technical difficulties for a long time, and by the time I had gotten a new computer, the season had pretty much ended. It isn't that I didn't want to continue Rising Strom, as much as I _couldn't_. You guys have no idea how much it meant to me knowing that people were actually taking the time to read something that I wrote. It really meant a lot to me. But, all things aside, I will be writing a new story (on FIMFiction) that takes place after the season three finale. And as you are reading this, I will have begun the first chapter in said story. The username on FIMFiction is the same as on FanFiction (captainlink). Again, thank you so much for reading Rising Storm. I bid you all adieu, and I hope to see you on FIMFiction. Goodbye.

-Yours truly, captainlink


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